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Companies are giving employees free time and extra money to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
Online grocery delivery service Instacart on Thursday announced a “Covid-19 vaccine support allowance,” which provides $ 25 for team leaders, in-store shoppers, and full-service shoppers who do so. vaccinate from February 1.
The idea is to ensure that “Instacart buyers don’t have to choose between earning an income as an essential service provider or getting the vaccine,” said Apoorva Mehta, Founder and CEO of Instacart in a statement.
Mehta is also advocating that in-store buyers with an independent Instacart contract have priority access to the vaccine. (While it is recommended that grocery store workers be included in phase 1b of the vaccination, Instacart buyers are not recognized by the government as essential workers.)
Even with scheduled appointments, some vaccine-eligible people have experienced lineups and waits in many states.
The well-known Trader Joe’s grocery chain will reimburse employees two hours’ wages for each dose of vaccine received, and will take steps to ensure that “crew members” (employees assigned tasks such as cash register work, receiving and unloading deliveries, stocking shelves, building displays, floor cleaning, etc.) have time to make an appointment, Trader Joe spokesperson Kenya Friend-Daniel told CNBC Make It.
Dollar General also announced on Wednesday that it would give a one-time payment equal to four hours’ wages to frontline team members after being vaccinated. The salaried team will also receive accommodations to compensate for the time spent getting vaccinated, according to a statement.
From a legal standpoint, employers can require employees to be vaccinated before returning to work, as long as they allow reasonable accommodations for people with medical conditions or religious exemptions.
While these retailers do not require employees to be vaccinated, programs like these can make people receive the vaccine so they feel safer at work. According to Pew data released in December, 60% of Americans say they would definitely or likely get a coronavirus vaccine.
Robert Litan, an economist affiliated with the Brookings Institution, told NPR that giving people cash payments to get vaccinated by the federal government would encourage people to get vaccinated. (Of course, that would theoretically cost the government hundreds of billions of dollars to fund.)
Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said 80% of the population must get vaccinated to gain herd immunity.
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