Essex County College Mandates Vaccines, Masks For Fall 2021

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County College has rolled out a coronavirus vaccine mandate and an indoor mask requirement for students and staff ahead of the fall 2021 term.

The college, which has campuses in Newark and West Caldwell, offers more details about COVID-19 policies on its website. As of Tuesday, they include:

VACCINATIONS - “All eligible students, faculty and staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved by the college. All students, faculty and staff must attest to their vaccination status by September 1, 2021.”

TESTING FOR UNVACCINATED - “All unvaccinated students, faculty and staff are subject to mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing and shall submit proof of PCR testing to the college. The college has arranged to provide vaccinations and COVID-19 PCR testing to students, faculty and staff.”

MASKING INDOORS - “The college requires all individuals to wear a mask/face covering indoors regardless of vaccination status unless they have a medical exemption approved by the college … Masks/face coverings may be removed while students, faculty and staff are eating, so long as social distancing is maintained. Faculty and staff may also remove face coverings at their work stations while alone.”

Any student, faculty or staff member that provides willfully false statements or information on their vaccination attestation form may be subject to discipline and/or a hold on their account, administrators said.

Students will have the option to enroll fully in-person, hybrid, virtual, pure online, or a combination of the above for the fall semester, which begins on Sept. 2. Certain courses and programs may only be offered in-person due to academic and curricular requirements.

According to a social media post from the college, all fall 2021 registered students will receive a cash credit of $100 by showing their COVID-19 vaccination record card. Verification will start at the Welcome Center on Sept. 15.

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