University of Arizona President Dr. Robert C. Robbins spoke out on Monday, criticizing actions by the Legislature and Gov. Doug Ducey that now limit the school’s power to combat COVID-19 on campus, reported AZ Central. Gov. Ducey signed an executive order in June banning mask and vaccine mandates at public schools. At the time, universities and the Arizona Board of Regents all agreed to comply with the order.
“The ideal would be that we could require everyone to be vaccinated, we could require everyone to cover their face, we could require many things that other places are doing but we cannot do (that) here because of state law,” Robbins said during a briefing on the school’s fall reopening plans.
Ducey’s order in June came after he criticized the ASU policy. He said the rules for students attending class in person this fall had “no basis in public health”.
Robbins said classes at UA are scheduled to begin as planned, and the school is encouraging vaccinations. Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona have found ways to incentivize vaccinations. All three schools are offering gifts and rewards to students who show proof of vaccination.
Robbins stated, “I am pleading with you: If you are not yet vaccinated, please get vaccinated. Our best hope is to get as many people vaccinated as possible.”
In a series of Tweets on the University of Arizona Twitter page, Robbins emphasized the need for a layered approach to protecting against the virus.
“I want to come back to the vaccines for a moment. They do two things for you as an individual. First, they lower the risk of contracting the virus. Second, they dramatically lower the risk of severe disease or death if you contract the virus,” Robbins commented.
Robbins continued, “We need to think of masking, vaccines, and other measures as complementary parts of the solution, not separate approaches. Layering our strategies to minimize the risk to ourselves and others works best.”
