Effective immediately, Mississippi State University employees are no longer required to upload proof of vaccination or request an exemption. Today [Dec. 7], a federal district court in Georgia issued a nationwide injunction to prevent the federal government from enforcing the vaccine mandate for federal contractors which was included in President Biden’s Executive Order 14042. The IHL Board’s Directive passed on October 25, 2021, which required employees to comply with the federal contractor vaccine mandate, specifically stated that it would be stayed or revoked if the federal vaccine mandate was stayed or revoked. Accordingly, the Board Directive is no longer in effect and there is currently no longer a requirement or a deadline by which employees must be vaccinated or request an exemption.
MSU will let you know as soon as possible if the federal contractor vaccine mandate is reinstated or if there is any further change regarding a vaccine mandate which impacts university employees. The employee vaccination upload portal will remain open. Employees are encouraged to upload their proof of vaccination for internal purposes, but there is no requirement to do so.
MSU does urge all employees to get vaccinated. Vaccines are readily available at the Longest Student Health Center.