Governor Newsom announced that the state of California is going to mandate that all eligible school staff and students must be vaccinated in order to attend public schools. The new policy is expected to go into effect in January 2019.
(CBSLA) – LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – California’s vaccination requirement for schools is expected to take effect in the coming months, meaning that qualified personnel and children who do not get vaccinated will be unable to attend school.
While certain exceptions exist, legislators may be on the verge of closing religious and personal belief loopholes.
READ MORE: Suspect Still At-Large in Shooting Near Sunset Strip In Hollywood Hills
(Photo courtesy of CBS)
“We want to put a stop to this epidemic.” Governor Gavin Newsom explained why he plans to enforce a statewide vaccination requirement for California schools, saying, “We are all tired by it.”
COVID instances are on the decline, according to Newsom, but cases among children are more concerning.
“We’re not where we need to be between the ages of 12 and 17, so we hope this motivates people to be vaccinated,” the Governor stated.
In-person learning is a statewide mandate for both staff and students. The requirement for pupils would not take effect until the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccination for children aged 12 and above. Pfizer currently has emergency usage permission.
The Governor anticipates that the requirement will be in place by January, and if not, by July of next year, with exceptions for medical reasons, personal views, and religious beliefs.
Newsom said, “Those are also set in these standards.”
READ MORE: A Strange, Pungent Smell Has Been Observed in Carson, California, Near the Dominguez Channel
Democratic state legislators, on the other hand, claim that personal and religious convictions provide an excessively wide loophole and that they wish to tighten limitations, which would need legislative action.
“Right now, it contains a personal belief exception under Governor Gavin Newsom’s mandate. According to current California law, “if the state health agency mandates a vaccination and it does not go via a vote of the legislature, a personal belief exemption is included,” according to Loyola Law Professor Jessica Levinson.
For some parents in the Southland, getting their children the COVID vaccination for in-person learning means taking them out of school.
“I’m not anti-vaccine in the least.” “I think vaccinations serve a useful function,” said Renee Kennedy, a Southern California mother and business owner. “There should be exclusions for religious and health grounds,” says the author.
The mandate is overreach, according to Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, who campaigned in the recent recall election.
“This is a decision that should be made by individual families… It is definitely not something that the government should order. That’s why no other state has taken the initiative,” Kiley said.
Mass demonstrations have erupted over the subject of masks and vaccine requirements, but there is broad support for the mandates, and they seem to be legal.
“Governor Newsom has shown a tremendous amount of commitment to ensuring that people get vaccinated,” Levinson added.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements Go Into Effect In Los Angeles County, From Bar Hoppers To Elementary School Students
When questioned about getting the mandate through the legislature, which would eliminate religious and personal belief loopholes, the Governor stated he will work with them to accomplish their common objectives.
