Caltech to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for All Students, Staff

Caltech plans to require all students and staff at the institution to be fully vaccinated by mid-October in response to the spread of the virus’ Delta variant, administrators announced Monday.

The policy was announced in a letter issued by Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, Provost David A. Tirrell and Vice President for Student Affairs Kevin M. Gilmartin.

“As the highly-transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant continues to spread across the country and the related hospitalization of unvaccinated individuals rises, Caltech will mandate full COVID-19 vaccination for employees and students and will restrict access to indoor campus spaces to vaccinated individuals only,” according to the letter.

“The Institute’s new vaccination policies require that all faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students on campus and at off-site facilities, apart from JPL, confirm their full vaccination status, or have an approved exemption, no later than October 15, 2021,” the letter stated.

All campus indoor spaces will be off-limits to those without proof of vaccination or exemptions, including visitors above the minimum vaccine eligibility age of 12, as of Oct. 18, Caltech representatives said.

Officials added that the requirement extends to employees with hybrid work arrangements or who work entirely off-site.

“This requirement also supplants the original Student Immunization Policy, which allowed for enrolled students to submit a COVID-19 personal declination form in lieu of a medical exemption,” the letter said.

“We write now to ensure that those individuals who have not yet been vaccinated or confirmed their status with the Institute have time to complete a full vaccination regimen by the October deadline,” it continued.

Employees who fail to meet the requirement may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination, according to the institution. Non-compliant students could face discipline up to and including loss of enrollment.

The new policy does not hinge on full U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of any vaccine.

“The decision to implement these changes in advance of FDA approval reflects growing concern for the aggressive spread of the Delta variant and reinforces our collective responsibility to protect the health and well-being of everyone in our community, especially those who are otherwise not able to protect themselves,” the letter stated. “Research and extensive clinical experience have demonstrated that the COVID-19 vaccines are among the most effective means of controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and limiting the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death. “

Prior to the Oct. 15 deadline, any students and staff who are not fully vaccinated must continue to require existing campus protocols for unvaccinated individuals, which includes participation in Caltech’s surveillance testing program. The policy can be found online at  together.caltech.edu/going-to-campus.

“The process to verify proof of vaccination or approved exemption for indoor access may vary by location, but will be clearly communicated at entrances and on the Caltech Together website,” according to the letter. The site can be accessed at https://together.caltech.edu.

More information on Caltech’s vaccination policy is available online at together.caltech.edu/faq/vaccination-faq.