RI Becomes 1st State To Require COVID-19 Vaccines At All Colleges

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island has marked another promising pandemic milestone, becoming the first state in the country to require a COVID-19 vaccine at all colleges and universities, both public and private.

"I am proud that Rhode Island’s institutions of higher education have all stepped up to do what is best to protect their communities and our state," Gov. Dan McKee said Tuesday. "We are keeping a close eye on the Delta variant with 73,000 college students, including 48 percent of out of state students, headed back to campus in Rhode Island this fall. I commend our colleges and universities for their thoughtful decision and their efforts to keep Rhode Island healthy this school year and beyond."

Every college and university in the state independently made the decision to require students to get vaccinated before returning to school in the fall. These include Brown University, Bryant University, Community College of Rhode Island, Johnson & Wales University, New England Institute of Technology, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University, Salve Regina University and the University of Rhode Island.

Shannon Gilkey, the state's commissioner of postsecondary education, said Rhode Island "will be a safer state because of the actions of the 11 colleges and universities."

"I want to thank all of the college presidents and their teams for their proactive and positive responses during this pandemic to ensure that their campuses are open for in-person learning," Gilkey said. "Fully reopening all the campuses enormously helps our state’s economic recovery, particularly among the small businesses that serve the college communities."

Throughout the pandemic, state leaders met with college and university leaders to plan for reopening and discuss mitigation strategies.

"The entire higher education community in Rhode Island should be commended for stepping up and helping to keep their students, staff, and surrounding communities as safe as possible when it comes to COVID-19 by putting policies in place to get vaccination rates high," Said Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. "Vaccination is key to keeping our communities safe and to having a successful academic year. We cannot let our guard down now."

As the Delta variant becomes more prevalent in Rhode Island and across the country, it's more important than ever to get vaccinated, the doctor continued.

"The good news is that the vaccines provide protection against this variant," Alexander-Scott said. "Anyone who has not been vaccinated should get vaccinated today."