According to an announcement from the Los Rios Community College District, ARC will require students and employees who access district and college facilities (including in-person classes or student support services) to have at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and show proof of vaccination, by Oct. 1, 2021. 

According to Scott Crow, ARC’s communications and public information officer, the decision came after the new wave of COVID-19 cases.  

“The decision to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all Los Rios employees and all students who access district and college facilities comes as we are facing a new wave in this pandemic, with case numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths all increasing in our region and throughout the country,” Crow said in an email to the Current.

The new vaccination requirement is meant to support the health and safety of students, employees and members of the community, Crow added.  

“Since the overwhelming majority of serious cases and deaths in California and nationwide are among the unvaccinated, Los Rios needed to act decisively to protect its campus communities,” Crow said. “Vaccinations are free, safe, and effective, and are the most important thing we can do to help end this pandemic.”

Masks will still be required for all students, faculty, and staff in any indoor space on campus, regardless of vaccination status. 

“Exemptions to the vaccination requirement will be very limited and only available for certain medical conditions and sincerely held religious beliefs,” Crow said.

If students don’t receive their first dose by Oct. 1, online courses are still an option.

According to Gabe Ross, LRCCD’s associate vice chancellor, the new vaccination policy does not have an expiration date. 

“We fully expect to continue the policy as long as necessary to protect the health and safety of our college communities,” Ross said in an email to the Current. 

According to the ARC website, students can show proof of vaccination status by visiting their eServices account and clicking the “COVID-19 Vaccination Status” on the home page. This directs students to answer questions whether they are partially or fully vaccinated, which vaccine they received, and the date(s) of their shot(s) and photo proof of their official COVID-19 vaccination record card.

“There will be [future] vaccination opportunities on campus,” Crow said. “As those dates and times are finalized, the clinics will be announced via email, social media, and at https://arc.losrios.edu/vaccine.”