As schools across California reopen for in-person fall instruction, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond urged students’ parents and families to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during a news conference on Friday.
Kids under 12 still aren’t eligible to receive the vaccine, which puts added importance on those around them to keep communities safe.
"As we’re heading into more school openings, we want to continue to encourage our parents and family members to get a vaccine for themselves," Thurmond said.
"We want to make sure that we do all we can to demystify the vaccine for folks. We want to have that conversation," he explained. "It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t cost anything. No one is going to ask about your immigration status or whether or not you have health care. You don’t even have to have an appointment."
Earlier this week, California became the first state in the U.S. to require that all teachers and staff be vaccinated, or otherwise face frequent testing for the virus. The order comes as cases and hospitalizations rise across California due to the contagious delta variant
Eventually, Thurmond said he expects the mandate to expand to all students, including those under 12 and under once they become eligible.
"Obviously I think a mandate would be helpful because vaccines save lives," he said. "In the meantime, we need to be as focused as we can on how we help educate people about getting a vaccine."
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