Last month, the Department of Public Health (DPH) announced that all Massachusetts students will be required to get a flu vaccine by December 31, 2020. The mandatory immunization requirement aims to reduce the overall impact of respiratory illness among students as an added precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The requirement applies to all children 6 months of age or older who are attending child care, pre-school, kindergarten–grade 12, and post-secondary institutions in Massachusetts. The flu immunization requirement is in addition to the existing vaccination requirements for students, unless the student has a medical or religious exemption. There is also an exemption for K-12 students who are home- schooled and post-secondary students who are completely off-campus and engaged in remote learning only. At the K-12 level, the immunization requirement applies to students regardless of
whether the school pro- vides an in-person, hybrid, or fully remote learning model. Enforcement of the immunization requirements will be handled by the local school district.
Massachusetts is reportedly the first state in the U.S. to require flu shots for children over the age of 5.
