VCU to require employees be vaccinated, masks indoors

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health will require all employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus. The school is also reenacting its mask mandate throughout campus amid a rise in cases throughout the Richmond area.

According to a release from the university, VCU faculty and staff need to report their vaccination by Sept. 1 or submit a request for a medical or religious exemption. VCU Health employees must have their first dose by Sept. 15.

In a statement, the university said “this decision aligns with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s Executive Directive 18, which directs state employees, including university employees, to be vaccinated, and mirrors the vaccine requirement for VCU students.”

The release also referenced the health system’s mandatory flu vaccinations, which have been in place for several years.

The school will also enforce a mandatory mask policy throughout the university. VCU students were already required to be vaccinated.

Read the school’s full announcement here.

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