Stanford is requiring all employees, whether working remotely or from the office, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8, the university announced last week.

Anyone who doesn't provide proof of vaccination by that date "will not be able to perform work for the university," unless they have a religious or medical exemption, according to an Oct. 6 letter from Stanford Provost Persis Drell, School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor and Associate Vice Provost of Environmental Health and Safety Russell Furr.

"A growing number of people are returning to campus, and teaching, research and social activities are on the upswing," the letter to employees states. "Together, we can maintain our momentum and keep one another as safe as possible."

The mandate is the result of President Joe Biden's executive order last month requiring vaccination for employees of federal contractors.

"As a result, due to the many federal contracts and requirements at Stanford and the open nature of our campus, the federal requirement will extend to virtually every university employee," Stanford's letter to employees states.

The requirement applies to remote employees who are working in the U.S., as well as certain subcontractors.

The university used to have "an additional allowance for those choosing not to be vaccinated for any reason," which will no longer be allowed under the new federal rules, according to the announcement. Stanford plans to share more information about the process to apply for medical or religious accommodations later this month.

To count as fully vaccinated in time for the Dec. 8 deadline, employees receiving the Moderna vaccine must get their first shot by Oct. 27 and second by Nov. 24. For the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the first dose has to be completed by Nov. 3, with the second one administered by Nov. 24. The single-dose Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine has to be received by Nov. 24.

The new rules do not include any requirement for booster shots.

Stanford is offering employees up to 80 hours of paid time off, dubbed "COVID flex hours," for any needs related to COVID-19, including time to get vaccinated and recover from vaccine side effects.