Nearly 5,200 Augusta University employees are covered by the executive order issued by President Biden mandating all federal employees be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4. That covers 84% of the AU workforce.
AU President Dr. Brooks Keel, in the first of two scheduled town hall meetings, said most of the impacted employees have been notified or their divisions have been contacted.
“Now, I will tell you we can continue to do an exhaustive review of our contracts, and of the buildings in which these contracts are implemented. There may very well be more employees identified,” he said. “So far, we’ve identified 55 buildings across the entire Augusta University campus that are impacted by this order. As we continue the exhaustive review, there may very well be more buildings that are identified, and therefore more employees that are identified.”
Keel said exemptions will be available for anyone with a “sincerely held religious belief” and for medical or disability accommodations. Information on how to apply for an exemption is forthcoming.
They will not, he said, accept antigen test results showing someone has a “natural immunity” from an earlier COVID-19 infection.
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Keel said the up to eight hours of administrative leave approved in late August can be used to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated.
“If you have been identified as someone who needs to get vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to go ahead and get vaccinated,” said Keel. “You will be given documentation and stay tuned as to how you will upload this documentation to this system which will be managed by HR so we can verify your vaccination status.”
The requirement covers only Augusta University employees. It does not include employees of the health system currently.
Georgia and South Carolina are among several states that have filed a lawsuit against the mandate.
“In addition to being an unlawful and unconstitutional overreach, this vaccine mandate on federal contractors will only further divide Americans and hamstring our economy,” said Gov. Brian Kemp. “We will not allow the Biden Administration to circumvent the law or force hardworking Georgians to choose between their livelihood or this vaccine.”
Keel said they are awaiting further guidance from the University System of Georgia on how the lawsuit will impact AU and other colleges and universities in the state. However, Keel advised employees covered by the mandate not to delay getting vaccinated.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
