California to require COVID-19 vaccine or test for teachers

California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing

SAN FRANCISCO -- California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns of the highly contagious delta variant. Newsom announced the new policy at a San Francisco Bay Area school that has already reopened after summer break. Many California schools are back in session, with others starting in the coming weeks. “We think this is the right thing to do and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have for young children," Newsom said.