The three campuses of the University of Alabama System and Auburn University will require employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The mandate includes a deadline of December eighth. The schools issued a joint statement announcing the move. The UA system says the Alabama campuses in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Huntsville, and Auburn all are federal contractors, so have to comply with an executive order signed last month by President Joe Biden. It says employees have to get the shots unless they have approved exemption on medical, disability or religious grounds. The state GOP is asking lawmakers to pass legislation opposing the federal rule.
Governor Kay Ivey blamed the unvaccinated in Alabama for “letting us all down.” However, she spoke out against President Biden’s announcement last month to mandate shots for all federal workers. Imposing a requirement on federal staffers to be vaccinated hits Alabama especially hard since the State is highly dependent on the federal government. A study by the financial website SmartAssets shows Alabama ranks third in the nation for the size of its federal workforce. That includes 50,000 workers, 17,000 of which are with the army and almost 7,000 for the Veterans Administration. Alabama lawmakers are considering measure to ban mandates for COVID shots. The State’s Attorney General confirmed months ago that Alabama cannot stop businesses from requiring their workers to be vaccinated.