Rutgers in NJ makes about-face on COVID vaccination policy

Students and staff on Rutgers University campuses no longer need to be vaccinated for coronavirus.

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, says on its website that as of April 1, the university no longer requires students, faculty, staff, and university affiliates to be immunized against COVID-19.

The decision comes four years after the pandemic took hold of New Jersey and forced businesses and schools to shut down.

In March 2021, the university became the first in the nation to require COVID vaccination, and many higher-ed institutions followed.

State Sen. Declan O'Scanlon, R-Monmouth, praised the university for its decision on Monday, but said it's long overdue. The senator has been calling on Rutgers for months to make the move.

"I'm glad Rutgers decided to join the rest of the enlightened world by finally lifting its COVID-19 vaccine requirement," O'Scanlon said in a press release. "Having said that, Rutgers doesn't deserve any additional praise. In fact, it deserves to be harshly criticized for not following the science."

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In March, O'Scanlon suggested Rutgers should lose state funding over its vaccine mandate.

In August of last year, O'Scanlon called on university leadership to resign for doubling down on their COVID-19 vaccination policy.

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