Photo credit: Scott Olson, Getty Images
The Kroger grocery chain announced on Friday that it would pay its employees $ 100 to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
According to a report by the NBC branch in West Palm Beach, Florida, WPTV, the company offers incentives to leading grocery workers as well as employees in its divisions in the supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center.
“We know that the most effective defense against this pandemic is in the form of the COVID-19 vaccine and the continuation of the strict safety measures we have put in place in our stores, manufacturing facilities and supply chain,” said Dr. Marc Watkins, Said Kroger’s medical chief, in a statement. “We strongly encourage all customers and associates to receive the vaccine to limit the spread of COVID-19, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that they have access as soon as it is available.”
The move by Kroger, the first company to pay its workers to be vaccinated, comes amid a broader debate over the risks and benefits of attaching financial incentives to an individual public health decision.
Currently, workers from grocery stores are classified according to the CDC as part of the “Phase 2” priority group, to leading health care workers and older Americans. As nationwide vaccination of vaccines continues to gain momentum, this large group may not start receiving shots for a few weeks.
For those Kroger employees who are unable to take the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, the company said it would still offer the $ 100 bonus after taking a health and safety course.
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