All Rutgers faculty, staff must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 per federal mandate

All Rutgers faculty and staff are now required to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and upload proof to the portal by Dec. 8, said Antonio M. Calcado, executive vice president and chief operating officer, in a message to employees today.

Approximately 10 percent of Rutgers employees have currently not uploaded their vaccination records.

This requirement comes after an executive order was signed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Sept. 9 requiring vaccination for certain employees of federal contractors, which pertains to Rutgers, as well as follows recent guidance from the Federal Worker Safety Task Force, he said.

“Biden’s executive order supersedes other state or local rules, regulations, laws or executive orders, and provides limited exemptions from the vaccination requirement for medical or religious reasons,” Calcado said. “It does not allow for a regular testing option for those employees who choose not to be vaccinated. The University will consider requests for exemptions from the executive order’s vaccination requirement for medical or religious reasons.”

He said those seeking exemptions should do so immediately, with Nov. 8 being the last day to do so. Those who do not provide proof of vaccination or receive a University-approved exemption by Dec. 8 will face disciplinary action up to and including termination.

In order to meet the Dec. 8 deadline, employees who choose to receive the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines should get their first dose by Oct. 27 or Nov. 3, respectively.

In addition, employees who choose to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get their shot by Nov. 24, and those who choose to receive a vaccine listed by the World Health Organization for emergency use should follow appropriate timing to meet the deadline.

The executive order does not currently require employees to receive or provide proof of a COVID-19 booster shot, according to an article from Rutgers Today.

“It is clear that Rutgers University and its employees, like research universities across the nation, are covered by the executive order and thus all Rutgers employees must be fully vaccinated by (Dec. 8) … We encourage employees to take action as needed as quickly as possible to comply with the order as we continue to work together to keep the Rutgers community healthy and safe,” Calcado said, according to the article.