Anna Maria College in Paxton is the latest to announce it’ll require students and employees to be vaccinated in time for the start of the fall semester.
Anna Maria joins Assumption University in Worcester and each of the state’s public university campuses, including Fitchburg, Framingham and Worcester state universities. Community colleges, including Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner and Quinsigamond Community College have said they won’t require vaccines, not wanting to worsen potential health inequities among members of its campuses.
For Anna Maria, which announced the decision late Thursday, the vaccines will be required before arriving on campus. The requirement is also in place for overnight campus guests but the college will make medical and religious exemptions.
“Now that we have several safe and FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines available and are located in a state that is a leader in the administration of these vaccines, the college believes this requirement is in the best interest of our campus,” Anna Maria’s president, Mary Lou Retelle, said in the announcement.
