PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — All University of Pennsylvania faculty, staff and post-doctoral trainees must get their COVID-19 vaccines in the next two months.
The university announced Tuesday that they must get vaccinated by August 1 in advance of the 2021 fall semester. There are additional guidelines for employees of the Penn Health school.
The university said they expect some faculty members to not get the vaccine due to religious reasons, or to simply not disclose their vaccination status. According to a statement, the university says those faculty, staff, and post-doctoral trainees must take part in daily symptom checks.
"Vaccines have proven to be safe and highly effective in preventing hospitalizations, death, and the spread of the virus," said Penn President Amy Guttman in the statement.
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"Getting vaccinated and recording your vaccination status are the next and most critical steps in our collective efforts to end this crisis and return to normalcy."
Penn Medicine became the first large Philadelphia employer to require vaccines for its employees.
The university announced in April that its students must get vaccinated, with some exceptions including religious-related reasons.
Penn also announced Tuesday that in following the relaxation of COVID-19 indoor capacity rules in Philadelphia, classrooms will be at 100% capacity.