Arizona universities to require COVID-19 shots for employees

The board that oversees Arizona’s three state universities announced Friday that they'll will comply with a federal mandates for government contractors and require their employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Dec. 8 unless they receive exemptions.

The Board of Regents said the requirement by the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University includes undergraduate and graduate students who are also university employees. A regents statement cited President Joe Biden’s executive order and said the universities have “hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts, funding critical research, employment and educational efforts.” Arizona on Friday reported 2,399 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 38 additional deaths.