California Governor Gavin Newsom is ramping up the fight against COVID-19 by requiring that all school employees get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.
Newsom announced the order at an Alameda County elementary school on Wednesday, stating that “this is the right thing to do” to keep schools open and address “the number one anxiety that parents like myself have.” This latest mandate follows a similar one that he recently passed for state employees.
The new mandate is a welcomed safety protocol by most in the state. Recently, several California school districts announced similar policies, including San Francisco Unified, which will require proof of vaccination for all staff members beginning on September 7th. Unvaccinated employees must comply with weekly testing. Los Angeles Unified also recently declared that all students and faculty would be subjected to weekly coronavirus testing, despite vaccination status.
The new statewide school policy will take effect on August 12th. All schools must be in full compliance by October 15th.
