Teachers in California are now required to have proof of vaccination or face weekly testing, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.
The move, the first of its kind, comes as the Delta variant continues to wreak havoc across the country. Several large corporations, including Google, Disney, Tyson Foods and Microsoft, have announced vaccine requirements for workers who will soon be returning to in-person work, the New York Times reports.
California initially only encouraged everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but the governor announced last month that the state would require healthcare workers and state government employees to show proof of vaccination or get tested on a weekly basis.
Now teachers have joined the list.
“It’s not a new thing to have immunizations in schools,” Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, said. “And I think that on a personal matter, as a matter of personal conscience, I think that we need to be working with our employers, not opposing them, on vaccine mandates.”
