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University of California to mandate vaccination for fall, require proof

The University of California Office of the President announced COVID-19 vaccinations will be required for students returning to all campuses in the fall. (Ashley Kenney/Photo editor)

By Anushka Chakrabarti and Christine Tran

July 15, 2021 5:16 p.m.

This post was updated July 18 at 6:24 p.m.

The University of California announced Thursday that COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandatory for all students returning to campus in the fall. 

The UC will require all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated with few exceptions, despite all COVID-19 vaccines being allowed for emergency use, said UC Office of the President in a statement Thursday. 

The policy states proof of vaccination will be required two weeks prior to returning to campus. Each school is currently planning how it will record vaccination status, the policy said. The Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center currently accepts proof of COVID-19 vaccination in the student portal. 

The UC will grant medical exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement as long as they are consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and students can request accommodations on the basis of religious beliefs or disabilities, according to the UCOP statement.

The UC released its COVID-19 Vaccination Draft Policy in April but informed students and faculty to expect a finalized policy in mid-July. 

UCLA administrators said in January the university could not enforce a vaccine mandate because the Food and Drug Administration allowed the vaccines for emergency use. After medical studies further proved the vaccines’ safety and efficacy, the UC decided to implement the vaccine requirement.

[Related: UCLA discusses student COVID-19 vaccine availability at virtual town hall]

Currently, UCLA requires all unvaccinated staff to wear face coverings to comply with Los Angeles County guidelines. LA County reinstated the mask mandate effective Saturday at 11:59 p.m. after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases and the rising prevalence of the delta variant. 

The policy also stated UC employees and students who remain unvaccinated with no prior approved exemption may face disciplinary action such as registration holds.

The UC is currently finalizing guidance on implementing the updated policy and expects to issue the final version next week.

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Anushka Chakrabarti | News editor
Chakrabarti is currently the 2021-2022 News editor. She was previously the 2020-2021 assistant News editor for the science and health beat, and she was a former contributor for online. She is also a third-year mathematics and economics student at UCLA.
Chakrabarti is currently the 2021-2022 News editor. She was previously the 2020-2021 assistant News editor for the science and health beat, and she was a former contributor for online. She is also a third-year mathematics and economics student at UCLA.
Christine Tran | Alumnus
Tran was the 2021-2022 national news and higher education editor in addition to being a contributor for Enterprise. She was also a fourth-year political science student at UCLA.
Tran was the 2021-2022 national news and higher education editor in addition to being a contributor for Enterprise. She was also a fourth-year political science student at UCLA.
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