All students, faculty and staff at the University of California will be required to be vaccinated in order to return to campus, the UC system announced in a new policy on Thursday, becoming the nation’s largest public university system to mandate the vaccines.
The plan was to protect the health and safety of the university community, the policy read.
It applies to its patients, students, trainees, personnel and all others who work or live in any of the university's campus or offsite locations.
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"The University strongly recommends that all members of the University community obtain the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible," the policy said.
The university said its campuses must begin collecting proof of vaccination and process requests for exceptions and deferrals no later than Thursday as campuses plan for a return in the fall.
The deadline for the plan was two weeks before the first day of instruction at any university campus or school for the Fall 2021 semester. For facilities that don't operate on an academic calendar, the deadline is Sept. 1.
For the full policy, click here.
