Deadline: COVID-19 vaccination requirement Oct. 8

Posted By: Ann Merchlewitz On: 2021-10-07
Posted On: 2021-10-07

A final reminder that the deadline for providing either proof of COVID-19 vaccination or an exemption is this Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. As communicated in August, Saint Mary’s has implemented a COVID-19 vaccine requirement which requires submission of a COVID-19 vaccination card or an exemption (medical or non-medical) for all employees and students.  Please comply with this requirement as it is a significant part of our efforts to mitigate against the transmission of COVID-19.

Once we have reached the deadline, a very small number of staff in the Wellness Center and Human Resources will review the data for two purposes: to determine who has failed to comply with the requirement and to determine what percentage of the students, faculty, and staff on our campuses are fully vaccinated. Depending on that information, we can hopefully reassess some of our COVID-19 protocols. However, any change to our protocols will also take into account Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidance as well as the transmission levels of COVID-19 in the state of the Minnesota and the counties of Hennepin, Olmsted, and Winona. Thus, any decision to remove our universal masking mandate will take into account all those factors, not just our percentage of fully vaccinated individuals.

Together, we are stronger. Together, we are Saint Mary’s.