With its intention of fully reopening the college to full in-person learning in the fall, Yale, located in New Haven, announced that anyone returning to campus for the 2021-2022 school year must be vaccinated, barring specific religious or health concerns.
Last week, Christine Chen, the Chief of Student Health at Yale announced that the university had procured enough doses to vaccinate all students before the current semester concludes.
For students currently on a leave of absence or learning remotely who might not have access to the vaccine, Yale is making contingency plans to vaccinate them upon arrival next fall.
Students who plan to study or work on Yale’s campus during the summer are also expected to be vaccinated “as soon as vaccinations are available to them.”
“Although the course of the COVID-19 pandemic over the coming months remains uncertain, vaccination is the strongest tool for preventing transmission of the virus,” Yale University President Peter Salovey and Provost Scott Strobel wrote in an email to students.
“There is abundant evidence of the vaccines’ effectiveness and growing confidence that vaccines will be widely available by early summer.”
School officials also noted that "we are considering whether we also will require faculty and staff to be vaccinated in order to return to campus.
"To inform our deliberations, we have asked a working group, including faculty experts in public health, to make recommendations," they said. "We expect to receive the group’s report in the coming weeks and make a determination in June."
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