Governor Newsom stated, “This is about keeping children safe and healthy.” Gavin Newsom announced the mandate. California will soon impose its first coronavirus vaccine requirement for schoolchildren. This move was announced Friday and could be followed by other states. Gavin Newsom issued the first nationwide stay-at-home order during the initial days of the pandemic. Newsom stated that the mandate will not be effective for all children until the U.S. government has completed fully vetting vaccines for two age groups, 12 to 15, and 5 to 11. Those in the seventh through 12th grades will likely have to wait until July to receive their shots.

Children in the kindergarten through sixth grades will have to wait longer as there has not been a COVID-19 vaccine approved for them. California law requires that all children in private and public schools have at least 10 immunizations. There are exceptions for medical reasons. California will allow exemptions for medical, religious, and personal reasons. After the state has received comments from the public, the rules for these exemptions will be finalized. Students without exemptions who refuse to receive the vaccine will be required to study independently at home. This mandate will eventually affect over 6.7 million students in public and private schools across the nation’s largest state. California already requires schoolchildren to wear masks. After visiting seventh-graders, the Democratic governor stated that “We need to do more.”

We want to end the pandemic. It is exhausting for us all.” The federal government has approved coronavirus vaccinations for everyone over 16 years old and granted emergency authorization to vaccininate anyone 12-15 years. It is expected that this age group will be fully approved within the next few months. Vaccines to protect children aged 5-11 are still being tested. California has one the highest vaccination rates in the nation. 84% of Californians 12 years and older have received at least one shot and 70% are fully vaccinated. However, the state is not without its critics. More than 1000 people protested the mandates of vaccines at the Capitol last month. “I think it’s a parent’s decision, you know. Fabio Zamora is the father of eighth-grader Edna Brewer Middle School. “The government should not have mandates like this.

That is not what I care about. I’m a veteran. “I served my country and I fought to protect those rights.” California has five school districts that have their own vaccine mandates. Los Angeles and San Diego are two of the largest districts in California. Other states have not imposed pandemic rules on schools, such as a Kentucky law that repealed a statewide mask requirement. Newsom is one of the most active governors in the fight against coronavirus restrictions. He issued the first national stay-at-home order, which was quickly followed by 41 more states. Newsom also required California’s 2.2 million state workers and health care workers to be vaccinated in order to retain their jobs. After defeating the recall attempt, which was fueled by anger at his handling of pandemic, Newsom felt empowered. He claims he took his win as an endorsement for his vaccine policies. Newsom hasn’t supported all vaccine mandates.

A federal judge recently imposed a requirement that prison guards be present. Newsom opposed it. Critics used this example to argue that Newsom is more driven by politics than science. They also pointed out that the labor union representing corrections officers had donated money to Newsom’s campaign to defeat the recall. Kevin Kiley, Republican Assemblyman, tweeted Friday that California kids made the error of not giving millions for his campaigns. Kiley was one of 46 candidates running to replace the governor in the recall election.