Military Grants First Religious Exemptions to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

United States Marines register their details as they queue to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Camp Hansen on April 28, 2021 in Kin, Japan. Carl Court/Getty Images

The Marine Corps is the first U.S. military branch to grant religious exemptions to the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, nearly two months after the vaccination deadline for active-duty Marines.

The Marines approved two requests for religious accommodation from the mandate, the branch said in a statement on Thursday.