MSU to require masks, vaccinations for upcoming semester

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Michigan State University (MSU) will require all students and staff to be vaccinated for the upcoming semester. The school made the announcement Friday.

MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. said, “Yesterday’s CDC data is concerning and significantly shifts the landscape. Across the country and here in Michigan, we are seeing a rise in cases and are finding the delta variant is more contagious. The new CDC data suggests that even vaccinated individuals can in some cases spread the virus.”

Those developments have led MSU to update the school’s requirements, including those for the fall semester. Friday, they announced two key major actions.

The first is that all individuals are required to wear masks indoors beginning Aug. 1 in all campus buildings and other MSU facilities in East Lansing and throughout the state. This requirement will be in place for at least the first weeks of the fall semester.

In addition, all students, faculty and staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with an FDA-authorized or WHO-approved vaccine by Aug. 31.

Limited exemptions for medical or religious reasons will be provided.

Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail told News 10 that, while there could be a large influx of people looking to get vaccinated, no new vaccine events will be held. She said cited the ample vaccine availability throughout the country, which was not the case when vaccine clinics were a regular occurrence.

“This, to me, has nothing to do with politics,” Stanley said during a live announcement. “It has everything to do with public health. This is how we keep each other safe.”

Stanley said more details about these new requirements will be shared in the coming days.

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