Community College of Philadelphia students, staff and faculty will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to return to campus, the school announced Friday.
All faculty and staff will need to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1, while students will need to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 18 of next year – the start of the spring semester. Students, faculty and staff must also show proof of vaccination.
“Studies are showing that the delta variant is not only more contagious, but is devastating young, unvaccinated African Americans between the ages of 20 and 34. With 72 percent of the College population identifying as people of color, we must do everything in our power to ensure that we are taking the proper precautions as we return to campus this fall,” college President Donald Guy Generals said in a written statement.
Starting Oct. 1, students who are not fully vaccinated, as well as faculty and staff who qualify for a valid vaccination exemption, will be subject to regular coronavirus testing, the school said. Those who test positive will not be allowed on campus.
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Meanwhile, the college will continue to operate at 50% capacity this fall, with 6-foot social distancing rules and masks required for everyone.
Starting Jan. 18 of next year, students who are not fully vaccinated and do not qualify for an exemption will not be allowed on campus and will instead be asked to take online classes.
The school pointed people to Vybe Urgent Care at 1500 Spring Garden St. as a place where people can get free vaccines.
Meanwhile, the University of Pennsylvania will also require everyone to wear masks while indoors in public or shared spaces.
Exemptions to the mask requirement include single-occupancy offices and shared spaces where 6-foot distancing can be maintained, with roommates in our college house suites/rooms and by permission in instructional settings for pedagogical reasons, the university announced.
Penn will also require twice-a-week testing for people who are not vaccinated or do not report their vaccination information.
