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COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Policy Update: Updated 12.23.2021

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Policy Update: Updated 12.23.2021

This is the policy status update for December 23, 2021.

As of December 21, 2021, GBI now requires booster shots to maintain Fully Vaccinated status. All GBI employees are expected to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 16, 2022.

All individuals are eligible to receive booster shots six months after the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and two months after the initial single dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine.


This is the policy status update for December 6, 2021.

In accordance with The Great Basin Institute’s duty and commitment to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards, we are adopting a companywide policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations. We take this action with deep consideration of the importance of individually held rights and beliefs in order to safeguard the health of our employees, AmeriCorps members, families, partners, corps members, and the communities in which we live and serve. COVID-19 vaccinations significantly reduce risk of transmission. This policy complies with all applicable laws and is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health authorities, as applicable.                         

All Great Basin Institute employees and AmeriCorps Volunteers are required to receive a full course of the COVID-19 vaccination, unless a medical or religious exemption is submitted and approved. (Medical exemptions also require a physician’s signature.)

Effective December 8, 2021, all staff, seasonal employees, and AmeriCorps Volunteers will be required to provide proof of current COVID-19 vaccination in order to be employed or volunteer with our organization. All staff, seasonal employees, and AmeriCorps Volunteers are required to complete an Affidavit of Vaccination Status, provide an official record of full vaccination OR a completed medical or religious exemption prior to the first day of employment.

  • An official record of full vaccination (i.e., documenting two shots of either Pfizer or Moderna, or a single shot of Johnson & Johnson vaccines). Please note: should vaccine boosters be recommended by the CDC at some later date, the requirement to receive a booster to keep this vaccination policy up to date shall be assumed.
  • A completed medical or religious exemption. Employees in need of an exemption from this policy due to a medical reason, or because of a sincerely held religious belief must submit a completed Request for Exemption form to the Human Resources Coordinator to begin the interactive accommodation process as soon as possible. Accommodations will be granted where they do not cause The Great Basin Institute undue hardship; pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others; and may require the individual receiving exemption to follow additional safety protocols not required of vaccinated staff. Form(s) are available at request: Medical Exemption form, Religious Exemption form.

4 Responses

  1. Hello,
    I have been selected as an intern/volunteer for the Bureau of Reclamation for summer of 2022. I would like to request a religious exemption form for the Covid-19 vaccine requirement. How can I go about doing this?

  2. Hi, do you still require a full course of Covid-19 vaccinations for positions in 2023?

  3. Effectively, yes. We will be posting an update to our COVID policy later today. It reads, in part, “To mitigate the impacts of Coronavirus in our 2023 field season, GBI published a series of guidelines that
    allowed us to effectively operate throughout the pandemic. All Great Basin Institute employees are
    required to receive and provide proof of a full course of the COVID-19 vaccine and booster prior to the
    first day of employment, unless a medical or religious exemption is submitted and approved.”

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