As Northwestern plans to return to full in-person activities this fall, faculty and staff will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the 2021-22 academic year, the University announced Thursday.

The announcement follows a previous May requirement mandating student vaccinations ahead of the fall, with some exceptions. For faculty and staff, full vaccinations must be obtained and reported to the University by August 1. 

Faculty and staff who elect not to get vaccinated based on religious or health concerns will not be required to obtain a formal exemption from the University until COVID-19 vaccines receive full FDA approval. However, once that approval is received, unvaccinated employees must file for an official exemption, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Unvaccinated faculty and staff will still be required to complete COVID-19 testing twice a week, complete the Symptom Tracker for days they will be on-campus and wear masks indoors while on-campus. Being unvaccinated also does not immediately qualify NU employees for remote work. 

The University will host a webinar on July 21 for faculty and staff to answer outstanding questions about the return to campus, including those about the vaccine requirement. 

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Twitter: @jacobnfulton

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