Penn State Mandating COVID-19 Vaccinations For University Park Employees
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (KDKA) - Faculty and staff at Penn State's main campus will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 under President Joe Biden's executive order.
Penn State says at University Park alone, there are about 1,000 federal contracts with a collective value that exceeds $500 million in federal funding.
The mandate also applies to graduate and undergraduate students on wage payroll and students on graduate assistantships.
"Biden's executive order applies to employees in buildings even where no federal contracting work takes place, unless the institution can 'affirmatively determine' that none of its unvaccinated employees will come into contact with a vaccinated contractor employee," said Penn State on its website.
Penn State President Eric Barron says that for "all intents and purposes," the university has to extend the mandate to all employees, but says the "great majority" of Penn State employees are vaccinated, which will "accelerate compliance."
Employees not on the main campus are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated because the university is reviewing the mandate and how it may apply to other campuses and locations.
The federal deadline of Dec. 8, meaning employees have to get their final dose by Nov. 24 to be considered fully vaccinated by then.