The 91探花 on Thursday announced it will require all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by autumn quarter. The 91探花recently announced that all students must also be vaccinated before fall classes begin.
This requirement follows the release of new from the Washington Department of Labor & Industries. Vaccinations are provided free of charge to individuals at 91探花Medicine 鈥� including at the 91探花Medical Center 鈥� Montlake on the Seattle campus 鈥� as well as at clinics, pharmacies and many other locations in Seattle and in Pierce and Snohomish counties.
鈥淭he FDA-authorized vaccines聽鈥� which are based on technology that鈥檚 been under development for more than two decades聽鈥� are safe and effective. Widespread vaccination is our ticket to a return to in-person learning and working as we create the 鈥榥ew normal鈥� for our University, and we encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as you鈥檙e able,鈥� wrote 91探花President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark Richards in a message to the University community.
Faculty and staff will need to confirm they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 by autumn quarter in order to work on the UW鈥檚 campuses or within its facilities. Similar to the student requirement, employees will be allowed to seek exemptions for medical, religious or philosophical reasons.
This decision follows consultations with faculty and staff leadership, as well as the state, and work is underway on how this requirement will be implemented. More details will be shared in early summer on how employees can confirm they have been vaccinated or apply for an exemption. These will include how this requirement will interact with the existing 91探花Medicine employee vaccine survey, as well as its application to faculty affiliates or staff who do not come to 91探花campuses or facilities and those employees who work out of state.
The Department of Labor & Industries鈥� addresses vaccine verification and health and safety requirements for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated employees. Additional guidance is expected before the state鈥檚 planned lifting of most health restrictions on June 30.
President Cauce and Provost Mark Richard鈥檚 complete message to campus can be found at聽uw.edu/coronavirus.
For more information, contact Michelle Ma at mcma@uw.edu.