Bates College in Lewiston will require all students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before they return for the fall semester.
It follows the lead of other Maine colleges and universities that have mandated vaccinations, including University of New England, College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor and Bowdoin College in Brunswick.
The college also has no plans to offer remote courses after the current semester ends, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported.
Joshua McIntosh, vice president for campus life, told students on Tuesday that the mandate will help put the college in a better position to return to pre-pandemic college activities, the Sun Journal reported.
Earlier last month, the college was forced to issue a campuswide quarantine after dozens of positive coronavirus cases were reported. At one point, there were more than 50 active cases.
The Lewiston-Auburn area currently ranks third in the country for the highest daily average of new COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks.
Lewiston-Auburn has an average of 52.2 new cases per 100,000 per day, according to the New York Times. Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Flint, Michigan have higher averages.
Androscoggin County as a whole has continued to see a rise in coronavirus cases. There are currently 750 active cases with 45 new cases reported on Tuesday. Overall, 72 Androscoggin County residents have succumbed to the virus.