AL Businesses Can Require Vaccine For Employees: Attorney General

MONTGOMERY, AL — Attorney General Steve Marshall Tuesday said Alabama businesses can legally require employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19, although schools are not allowed to require proof of vaccination, under state law.

Alabama’s vaccination law prohibits state or local governments from issuing or requiring immunization records not otherwise required by law, but the law does not extend to private businesses. Marshall made this clarification Tuesday. The law also prohibits private businesses from requiring vaccination or proof to do business or enter a private building.

"In other words, no government, school, or business in Alabama may demand that a constituent, student, or customer, respectively, be vaccinated for COVID-19 or show proof of his or her vaccination for COVID-19," Marshall said.

"We have received reports of an educational institution requiring each student to submit documentation showing that he or she has received a COVID19 vaccination before the student is permitted to return to campus for the Fall 2021 semester," Marshall said. "Such a policy is a clear violation of Act 2021-493, whether implemented by a private or public institution. Even if the school permits students who do not submit proof of vaccination to attend classes virtually, the school is still 'refus[ing] to provide' educational 'services' and 'refus[ing] to allow admission' to its premises based on 'immunization status or lack of documentation' of status in direct violation of the Act."

SEE ALSO:

ADPH Releases New COVID Guidelines For Schools

Masks Mandatory In Birmingham Municipal Buildings