The state of California becomes the first state in the US to mandate vaccinations and weekly COVID-19 testing for the teachers and the school staff.

California governor, Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that every teacher and school staff will require to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing as the schools return from summer break amid growing concerns about the highly contagious delta variant.

According to the California Department of Public Health, the new policy, which will apply to both private and public schools, affects more than 800,000 employees, including about 320,000 public school teachers and a host of support staff such as cafeteria workers and cleaners.

The new policy will also affect school volunteers.

Newsom announced the new policy at a San Francisco Bay Area school that reopened earlier this week to in-person classes. Many California schools are back in session, with others starting in the coming weeks.

“We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have for young children,” said Newsom, who is a father of four. “That is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe.”