Across the country, schools and universities are rolling out COVID-19 vaccine mandates as a response to the spreading Delta variant. However, some universities are taking precautions a step further by implementing rather absurd COVID-19 measures, such as indoor-double mask mandates and shelter-in-place rules for fully vaccinated students, as Guy reported. And now, we have a prestigious university axing faculty and staff who refuse to get the vaccine.
Duke University announced this week that employees who do not obtain the COVID-19 vaccine will be terminated from their job in the coming weeks.
In a statement issued by the university on Sunday, the Wuhan coronavirus vaccine now constitutes a condition of employment at Duke. "All faculty and staff members, regardless of work location, must receive and show documentation of their completed COVID-19 vaccination by 10 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2021," the statement reads.
Between now and the October deadline, deans and vice presidents will be given a list of unvaccinated faculty and staff within their department. These figureheads are to ensure their unvaccinated faculty understand the new policy and ramifications for not complying.
After the October 1 deadline, those who still haven't gotten the shot will be subject to a Final Written Warning and placed on leave. They will have seven days to obtain either the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. If the individual chooses not to get vaccinated, they will be fired once the seven-day period has expired.
Those who do comply during the seven-day administrative leave period will have up to six weeks to provide documentation that they are fully vaccinated. If the second dose is not administered within the six-week period, they will be terminated.
While faculty and staff are permitted to apply for a religious exemption from the vaccine, those who are approved for an exemption must partake in weekly testing and continued masking.
In the joint statement, Provost Sally Kornbluth and Vice President of Administration Kyle Cavanaugh said "Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from serious illness related to COVID-19, and it is only way we will bring an end to this pandemic. We are grateful to the thousands in our community who have already taken this step, and we want to take make every effort to support those who have not yet gotten vaccinated."