Two weeks after learning they would be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 28, employees of the Pennsylvania College of Technology were informed the institution would press pause on this mandate after the federal appeals court’s recent decision.
“Penn College’s legal counsel reviewed the latest action taken by a panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and recommended that we pause our processes to comply with the federal vaccination mandate,” said Joe Yoder, Associate Vice President for Public Relations & Marketing for Penn College.
The court of appeals blocked President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for private businesses with 100 employees or more, calling it “fatally flawed” and “staggeringly overbroad.”
Despite the vaccine mandate pause, the college informed its employees they would still need to submit vaccine exemptions by Nov. 17 to prepare for an aggressive push if the mandate is reinstated.
According to a letter sent to employees, the college still plans to offer an on-campus vaccination clinic on Nov. 19 and on Dec. 10.
“The College is closely monitoring the judicial proceedings as they unfold, and if the mandate is reinstated, we will continue to work toward compliance, including any associated deadlines,” Yoder said.
The college is only requiring employees and student employees to get the vaccine. Students will not be required to vaccinate.
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