ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s 26 public universities and colleges do not currently plan to require students, faculty or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the fall, according to guidance issued Thursday by the University System of Georgia.
The 340,000-student university system in March asked all campuses “to plan for resuming normal operations for the Fall 2021 semester.” Thursday’s guidance further elaborates on that theme, saying fully vaccinated people won’t have to socially distance or wear masks, while unvaccinated people “are strongly encouraged to continue” socially distancing and wearing a mask inside. Summer classes may still socially distance, depending on what a college decides.
The universities are supposed to make sure vaccinations are available on campus or through a local partnership, but schools won’t be “responsible for assessing current COVID-19 vaccination rates for their institution.”
The university system said it had made the decisions in concert with the state Department of Public Health and that they were subject to change.
The Board of Regents insisted on at least some in-person instruction in the fall and spring semesters, even awarding small amounts of money to institutions based on the number of in-person classes. Those moves came despite resistance from some employees.