The Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board has approved a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all employees and any students who attend at least one in-person class or otherwise visits a facility or campus in the district.
The requirement becomes effective Nov. 1, and employees and students can apply for an exemption if they have a medical excuse, disability or religious objection, the board voted Wednesday. The district includes Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, and Los Medanos College.
Vaccinations will also be strongly encouraged for all other visitors, such as vendors, who will be required to complete a health assessment before going to a facility, according to the district.
“In making this decision, 4CD reach ed out to its students, faculty, classified professionals, and managers and received overwhelming support to take this action,” Chancellor Bryan Reece said in a statement. “COVID-19 and its many variants will be with us for a while, so we must take prudent steps like this one so we can continue providing face-to-face instruction and services for our students.”
The district said it is also evaluating technological solutions to track employees’ and students’ vaccination status in a secure system.
People can visit https://www.4cd.edu/covid19/index.html for more information on the vaccine requirement and other COVID-19 protocols within the district.