[ad_1]
Editor’s Note: This message was sent on September 22 by Provost Ka Yee C. Lee and Executive Vice President Katie Callow-Wright to members of the campus community.
To help ensure the highest possible vaccination rate at the University, we are announcing today that all University employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they have requested and obtained a medical or religious exemption. There will no longer be an option for employees who do not receive an exemption to participate in weekly testing instead of vaccination.
This new requirement reinforces our existing employee vaccination policy, which has been announced this summer. Employees who fail to comply with the requirement by Oct. 15 may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.
We are taking these steps to strengthen COVID-19 precautions in light of risks such as the Delta variant, and to support full in-person business resumption plans. We are also monitoring and learning from experiences with COVID-19 on other college campuses this fall and taking appropriate action to limit the spread of the virus here, while maintaining UCicago’s distinctive approach to education, research. and intellectual life.
To meet this requirement, University employees who have not yet uploaded proof of their immunization status must, by October 15, complete one of the following steps:
Unvaccinated employees who enter University facilities in the Chicago area for any reason and at any frequency, and who have received an exemption or are in the process of being vaccinated, will still be subject to mandatory weekly masking and testing requirements.
For questions about today’s announcement, please see the Immunization FAQs.
The University has determined, based on expert advice, that widespread vaccination against COVID-19 is the best way to contribute to greater immunity, to reduce the likelihood of sudden clusters of COVID-19 on campus , minimize the risk imposed by the new variants, and help protect those members of our community who are most at risk of developing serious illness from the virus.
To date, over 87% of employees and 94% of students have been vaccinated, and we are deeply grateful for the efforts made so far across the University. Thank you for your commitment to defending the health and safety of our community.
[ad_2]
Source link