University of Missouri suspends vaccine mandate following court action

COLUMBIA, Mo. — On Dec. 7, a federal court issued an order that blocks the federal government from enforcing Executive Order 14042, the federal vaccine mandate for federal contractors, for the time being.

As a result, University of Missouri administrators announced that the requirement for faculty, staff and student employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved exemption is suspended at this time. Employees are no longer required to show documentation of vaccination or apply for an exemption at this time.

Individuals who have already uploaded documentation of vaccination do not need to take any further action. The documentation will remain on file.

Additionally, those employees that have requested an exemption do not need to take any further action. The university will suspend the processing of the request and keep it pending. If the vaccination requirements come back into effect at some point in the future, exemption requests will be processed at that time.

Vaccination requirements implemented in August 2021 for University of Missouri Health System employees and for UMKC faculty, staff and students who have direct patient contact in health care settings, remain in effect.

As the legal situation continues to change and evolve, university administrators will continue to update employees on how any changes will impact the system.

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