Uni Adelaide adopts a policy that requires staff to be vaccinated but won’t apply it now

Vice Chancellor Peter Høj tells staff he is triple vaxed and, “a fervent believer in the benefit of vaccination and accordingly, I have repeatedly urged staff and students to become fully vaccinated.” And after campus consultation, the university will adopt as policy the power to make vaccination mandatory.

But he will not apply it for now.

“This has been a very difficult matter for me to wrestle with personally and I know it has been difficult too for sections of the university community,” the VC states.
“On balance, I judge that mandating vaccination currently is not a proportionate mitigation to the risk posed by Omicron with our very high vaccination rates within our university community and with current public health settings, including the absence of a broader societal vaccine mandate.”

However the university is considering making masks compulsory indoors, providing “a limited supply” of free masks, and “protocols” for teaching and learning.”

In contrast, Flinders U proposes making vax mandatory as an enterprise agreement variation, which requires a staff vote (CMM January 22). And Uni SA DV David LLoyd told staff (February 4) “Please do look after yourselves and one another, and please do ensure you are fully vaccinated.”