Vaccine booster mandate for bargaining unit members - effective April 1, 2022

March 22, 2022

To: Staff Represented by Bargaining Units

Dear Colleagues,

To support the continued health and safety of the campus community, the University is instituting a booster mandate effective April 1, 2022, for bargaining unit staff, unless you have a previously approved medical or religious exemption from vaccination. The University is taking this action because COVID-19 is still prevalent in the New Haven community and a substantial risk of infection remains. On our own campus, there are significant numbers of Yale students in isolation due to COVID-19. Furthermore, news reports confirm that new COVID-19 outbreaks are occurring in other countries. Given these facts, along with clear scientific evidence that shows that boosters greatly increase the effectiveness of the initial vaccine doses in protecting against COVID-19 infection, serious illness, and hospitalizations, the University believes that a booster mandate remains an essential public health measure to protect the Yale community.

This means:

• If you are currently eligible for a booster, you must receive a COVID-19 booster or apply for an exemption to the booster by April 1, 2022.
• If you are not eligible to receive the booster by April 1, 2022, you must receive or apply for an exemption to the booster within fourteen (14) days of eligibility.
• You must upload or confirm documentation of your booster or submit a booster exemption through the Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Portal by April 1, 2022, or within fourteen (14) days of eligibility (if you will not be eligible by April 1).

* If you have an exemption to the initial vaccination series, you are not required to act at this time. Your existing exemption remains effective.

Please note that Booster Eligibility varies depending on the vaccination previously received, and our vaccination statistics indicate that the vast majority of staff members are already eligible according to the following schedule:

• Five months after receiving the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, and
• Two months after receiving a Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days and wish to defer your booster, you may apply for a temporary medical exemption by following the process as outlined on the Yale Health website. This exemption will delay your requirement until 90 days from the date of your positive COVID-19 test. At that point, your booster requirement will resume.

You may schedule a booster appointment online at Yale COVID-19 Vaccine Program. The Campus COVID Resource Line is also available to help individuals schedule appointments (203-432-6604). For your information, Yale’s vaccine/ booster clinic is located at 310 Winchester Ave.

Please note you may receive COVID-19 boosters on work time without loss of pay. Also, note that staff members who experience adverse reactions upon receiving booster doses are eligible for one (1) day of paid time.

If you prefer to receive your booster outside of Yale, there are many sites across the state that may be located using this link - vaccination sites.

If you received your booster but have not yet uploaded this information into the system, you can do so on the vaccine portal.

Again, the booster mandate is designed to help protect our community.

Thank you for all of your contributions!

Sincerely,

Jack Callahan Jr., Senior Vice President for Operations
John Whelan, Vice President for Human Resources