SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California State University system is now requiring vaccinations for any faculty, staff, and students coming on campus starting in the fall 2021 semester.
"Because of evolving circumstances, the university is announcing the pending requirement now without waiting for any further action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," a press release from CSU said.
As the delta variant becomes the more dominant strain of COVID across the U.S. and California, CSU wanted to make sure the students, staff, and visitors are safe.
“Receiving a COVID vaccine continues to be the best way to mitigate the spread of the virus. We urge all members of the CSU community to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and announcing this requirement now allows members of the CSU community to receive multiple doses of a vaccine as we head into the beginning of the fall term," CSU chancellor Joseph Castro said in the press release.
Right now many of the CSU campuses are being used as host facilities for vaccine distribution, so students and faculty can contact their schools for vaccine availability.
CSU said that most campuses are expected to have an expansive offering of virtual classes, so students that do not wish to come back to campus can still continue their studies online, but most of the programs do not offer all classes in order to graduate online.
The vaccination certification for faculty, staff, and students will vary by campus, but CSU said that all the certifications must be done no later than Sept. 30. A final COVID-19 policy will be shared in the next few days.
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