California Mandates COVID-19 Vaccines For K-12 Students, First State In The Country

California has announced that it will make COVID-19 vaccination a requirement for all eligible students in public and private schools, becoming the first-ever state ever to do so.

“That is what we are announcing here today. A statewide requirement for in-person instruction for all of our children to add to a well-established list that currently includes 10 vaccinations… the vaccination for COVID-19,” Newsom said while announcing the order. “Are there exemptions? Yes, well-established exemptions for medical reasons, personal and or religious beliefs. Those are established in those guidelines as well.”

The measure will be mandated on the students from seventh to twelfth grade, starting with the new school semester following the FDA’s full approval for the age group. These students would probably have until July to be fully vaccinated against COVID.

The order is yet another statewide COVID-19 mandate from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-California), the first governor in the country to issue stay-at-home order during the pandemic last year. California currently has the lowest COVID-19 rate in the entire country.

“I believe, we will be the first state in America to move forward with this mandate and requirement, but I do not believe – that by any stretch of the imagination – that we will be the last state. In fact, I expect other states to follow suit,” Newsom added.

Last month, Newsom survived a recall election by an unexpectedly wide margin.

“Now, let’s get back to work,” Newsom tweeted just hours after he was confirmed to have defeated the recall

Article by Dongyoon Shin