LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 14: Gov. Gavin Newsom watches as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is prepared by Director of Inpatient Pharmacy David Cheng at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center on December 14, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Jae C. Hong-Pool/Getty Images)
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UPDATED 10:25 AM PT – Thursday, August 12, 2021
California has become the first state in the country to require all teachers and school staff be vaccinated or otherwise undergo weekly COVID testing. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) announced the new mandate at a news conference on Wednesday.
“The state of California is trying to lead by example and also assert that we need to do more and we need to be better by becoming the first state in the country to require vaccine mandates, or at least verification and/or a testing requirement,” stated Newsom.
Currently, most states are allowing individual school districts to decide on vaccine and mask requirements.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announces California will be the first state to require all school staff be vaccinated or tested weekly. pic.twitter.com/c5I5w2RKbR
— The Recount (@therecount) August 11, 2021
Newsom’s decision comes after California’s Health Department issued a similar vaccine mandate for all health care workers last week. In response, parents have expressed their frustration over prolonged school closures in the Golden State and have reportedly been pushing to oust Newsom in the upcoming recall election.
Although the Democrat said a majority of Californians have already received their first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine, he said there is still more work to be done. “While we’re proud of the fact that California has among the highest vaccination rates in America, now 77.5 percent of all eligible Californians have received at least one dose, it’s not good enough,” said Newsom.
The new mandate is set to go into effect on Thursday.
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