Two-dozen University of Kentucky workers on leave for not complying with COVID-19 policy
Published 9:07 pm Saturday, November 13, 2021
Twenty-four employees at the University of Kentucky have been placed on administrative leave for not complying with COVID-19 testing policies, university officials said.
In addition, 146 students haven’t complied with the university rule that unvaccinated students and staff must get tested regularly for COVID-19, news outlets reported. University spokesman Jay Blanton said about 90% of those students “are, in large measure, not coming to campus.”
There are 26,523 students and 20,710 employees eligible for the rule, he said.
“We have had remarkable compliance, I would add, with now nearly 90 percent of our campus vaccinated and the large majority of the rest of our campus community testing per our protocols,” Blanton said.
The employees placed on administrative leave have been out of compliance since the university announced the testing requirement earlier this semester, meaning “they have never been in compliance with our vaccine and testing protocols,” Blanton said.
UK previously announced prize incentives — including scholarships and season passes —for members of its campus community aimed at increasing vaccination rates on campus.
The University of Louisville also has a testing policy for unvaccinated community members. Spokesman John Karman said Friday that “no staff or students have been suspended for violating the testing policy.”