The country’s four military-service academies may soon require students to be vaccinated against Covid-19 under an anticipated federal policy.
Currently, none of the academies — the United States Military Academy, Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and Air Force Academy — requires students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as a condition of enrollment.
But that could soon change as the Department of Defense moved this week to require all active-duty service members to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. President Biden said he supports the requirement.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will request a waiver for the mandate from Biden by mid-September. Austin cannot yet mandatee the Covid-19 vaccines because of a federal law requiring individuals to be given a choice if a vaccine has not received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
At the academies, students are on active duty as soon as they enroll, but it is not clear whether they will be required to receive a coronavirus vaccine as part of the federal policy. A spokesperson at the Military Academy referred questions about the federal policy to the Defense Department.
A spokesperson for the department referred questions about the academies’ vaccination policies to the institutions. The Military and Air Force Academies told The Chronicle that they would comply with guidance from the Pentagon.
The Naval Academy did not respond to The Chronicle’s inquiries.
Cadets and midshipmen, as students are called at the institutions, are required to get a slew of other vaccinations, including against polio, hepatitis A and B, and meningococcal disease.
Colleges Announce More Safety Measures
Duke University announced restrictions in communal dining on Tuesday, after Durham County, N.C., entered a state of emergency Monday evening and reinstated its indoor mask mandate due to a rise in coronavirus cases.
According to the new rules, food will not be allowed at indoor meetings or events unless an outdoor dining option is made available. Indoor seating should be limited to four people, and communal eating should be minimized, the rules said. Duke is requiring students and employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The University of Delaware, which adopted a vaccination requirement for students in May, announced on Friday that it would require masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.
The University of Texas at Austin is requiring students to get a Covid-19 test before the first day of class, officials announced on Monday. Students moving to or around Austin must get a test within three days of their move, while students who are not moving just need a test within three days of the start of classes, August 25.
The requirement applies to students regardless of their vaccination status and was instituted due to rising Covid-19 cases in Austin and Texas.
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