Employees, contractors and volunteers at Washington State University will no longer be required to be vaccinated against covid-19 starting Nov. 1. According to a news release, the university has seen success in covid vaccination attempts. The decision to lift vaccination mandates aligned with Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement to end remaining covid emergency orders and the state of emergency in Washington.
The governor declared a little more than a year ago that public employees in Washington had to be vaccinated, said Phil Weiler, vice president of marketing and communications at WSU. So when Inslee opted to lift the requirements, WSU decided to do the same, Weiler added.
Though the mandate will be lifted in most settings, Weiler said, there are certain employment situations where vaccines will still be required. Faculty members who work in clinical and health care settings will still need to be vaccinated. The university’s vaccine mandate led to the dismissal of some WSU employees last October, the most prominent being football coach Nick Rolovich.