Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, signed an executive order earlier this week prohibiting the state’s public schools from mandating a COVID-19 vaccine or requiring unvaccinated students to wear a mask on campus.

The executive order also bans schools from requiring students to get a COVID-19 test.

ABC15 Arizona provides context:

Gov. Ducey’s action appears to be in response to Arizona State University’s updated policy that all students are expected — though not required — to have the COVID-19 vaccine prior to the start of the fall semester. Students were also expected to upload proof of their vaccination to the University’s online health portal.

Under the ASU policy – which has been eliminated because of the executive order – unvaccinated students would have to take a COVID-19 test twice a week and do daily health checks using an app.

“Managing COVID-19 is both a matter of personal responsibility and public health, and we ask that you follow all protocols as they apply to our collective well-being,” ASU vice president of student services Joanne Vogel said in email.

“We’re going to be bringing in students from all fifty states, we’re going to be bringing in students from 130 countries all gathered at one point, at one time, in one place,” said ASU President Michael Crow during a radio interview.

“We’re working hard to not become a new source for the spread of the virus and any of its new variants that are still occurring,” he added.

But Ducey has now blocked that effort. “The vaccine works, and we encourage Arizonans to take it. But it is a choice and we need to keep it that way,” he said in a statement. “Public education is a public right, and taxpayers are paying for it. We need to make our public universities available for students to return to learning. They have already missed out on too much learning.”

The executive order is temporary, but Ducey has vowed to turn it into law. It allows for COVID-19 safety measures – including testing and masks – if there is an outbreak on a campus. The executive order includes an exemption for students working in health care settings.

Arizona has a below average vaccination rate – 38% of residents are fully vaccinated compared to the 44% national average.