Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP / Getty Images
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday the nation’s first mandatory coronavirus vaccination mandate that includes all elementary and high school students to get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine receives final approval from the US government for the different age groups.
The government fully approved the COVID vaccine – 19 for those older than 16 years, but only granted an authorization of emergency for those between 12 and 15 years.
Once the vaccine is fully approved by federal regulatory agencies for that group, California will require that students in grades seven through twelve be vaccinated in both public and private schools , Newsom’s office reported.
The state will require the COVID vaccine – 19 for child students from kindergarten to sixth grade , only after the federal government has given final approval for anyone from 5 to 11 years.
Students would be granted religious and medical exemptions, but rules on how the state would enforce those exemptions have yet to be drafted. Any student who refuses to receive the vaccine will be forced to complete an independent study course at home.
Until now, Newsom had left the decision on student immunization mandates to local school districts, leading to a variety of different orders in some of the state’s largest districts.
Los Angeles and the Oakland Unified School District have mandated that all students over the age of 12 years to be vaccinated, but the Oakland order does not set a deadline for when students must comply.
Los Angeles Instead, it set a deadline of 20 January.
Earlier this week, the San Diego Unified School District school board approved a mandate that the staff and students of 16 years or more are fully vaccinated by 20 December.
Newsom said he was proud to be the nation’s first governor to issue a variety of school mandates related to the pandemic.
In August, California became the first US state to require that all public and private school teachers and staff K – 12 Get vaccinated or tested for COVID – 19 weekly.
Newsom also issued a school mask mandate in early summer for indoor classes that applies to all teachers and students.
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