More Schools Will Soon Require Students To Get Vaccinated

The University of Virginia is one of the biggest public schools in the Old Dominion State and it just announced that starting in the fall all in-person students are required to have received the coronavirus vaccine.

The announcement sparked controversy and opened the door for discussions around vaccine mandates. It also marks a significant development as there had previously only been one other public school, The College of William & Mary, to announce plans to make vaccines mandatory for students in the fall term.

The school announced its decision on its website, including a number of updates about protocols to the fall, but the most notable was the first major item, labeled a “requirement for all in-person students.”

“All students who live, learn, or work in person at the University during the next academic year must be fully vaccinated before returning to Grounds, starting July 1,” the notice said, providing a link that requires students to upload proof of vaccination by that date.

“This approach will enable our students to return … safely,” the school says. The notice adds that students can seek a medical or religious exemption; however, any exemption will instead subject the student to weekly testing and “other public health measures.”

When the vaccine was first introduced to the public, Virginia institutions held back from enforcing any kind of mandate for fear they would violate some law or policy.

“Many legal scholars have interpreted that as saying that people cannot be required to take a vaccine that is under an emergency use authorization,” said Lisa Lee, professor of public health at Virginia Tech. “They can be when it has full approval, so that’s where the hitch is.”

However, UVA’s decision follows a number of changes in the past two weeks, including the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance that suggested fully vaccinated people do not need masks in most settings, which Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam adopted as statewide guidance.

“As we look back on an academic year where the pandemic changed every part of life at UVA, the availability and effectiveness of the vaccines will make it possible for all of us to live, learn, and work together in more “normal” ways in the year to come,” the notice said.

University leadership is hopeful this measure is a step toward making the campus feel more “normal” again.