“Virginia Tech will no longer require students to be vaccinated as a condition of enrollment or in-person instruction, effective immediately,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in a letter obtained by The Epoch Times. “Federal regulations may still require students who work in specific settings to be vaccinated, receive the booster when eligible, and upload their health information.”
In his letter, Sands cited Miyares’s recent opinion for discontinuing the policy.
The school, meanwhile, will not force mandatory COVID-19 testing on students but will provide voluntary testing, Sands added.
“We are fortunate that our university community has a very high percentage of vaccinated faculty, staff, and students, which positions us well to maintain operations through the semester,” the school president continued, noting that “managing the impact of COVID-19 on our daily lives has taken a toll on everyone,” including students’ physical and mental health.
Virginia’s state of emergency that was created by the pandemic didn’t extend the powers of entities “that are expressly subject to the control of the General Assembly,” Miyares said. “Notably, the authority to require immunization during a public health emergency belongs to the State Health Commissioner,” he added.
“We will continue to ensure that every Virginian has access to the information necessary to make an informed decision about the COVID-19 vaccination and ensure all who desire a vaccination can obtain one,” the governor said at the time.