Students and staff have no chance of returning to Cornell this fall if they do not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the school said in a statement.
“With recent announcements of expanded eligibility for vaccines in New York and other states, and increased vaccine production, it’s likely that all members of our community will be able to get vaccinated sometime this spring or summer.” , said Cornell president Martha Pollack and superintendent Michael Kotlikoff wrote Friday.
“Accordingly, Cornell intends to require vaccination for students returning to the Ithaca, Geneva and Cornell Tech campuses during the fall semester.”
An exception will be made for those with religious and medical exemptions, according to the statement.
The announcement comes after Governor Cuomo said Monday that anyone over the age of 16 will be eligible for the vaccine in New York from April 6.
Cornell hopes access to the vaccine will lead to a “herd immunity” that will allow all face-to-face classes to resume their pre-pandemic status in the fall.
Rutgers University of New Jersey is believed to have been the first university to require vaccines in a March 25 announcement.
Other colleges and universities are expected to do the same.