The chain said Wednesday it will provide up to four hours of pay to more than 350,000 workers an hour – twice for every dose they receive – and free Lyft trips of up to $ 15 each way to get to and from their vaccination meetings.
The news comes as companies from Kroger (KR) to Starbucks (SBUX) announce similar plans to pay their employees to be vaccinated.
Kroger is offering employees a $ 100 one-time payment if they show proof that they have recommended the full doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Instacart have also announced that they will pay employees to get the incentive to get the vaccine. Starbucks said earlier in the week that it is taking up to two hours off with pay per dose for its staff.
The companies’ policies come amid a slow start in vaccine distribution in the United States. More than 42 million vaccine doses have been dispensed so far, according to the latest CDC data, and about 10% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of vaccine. Federal officials had said that 20 million people would have received their first dose by the end of 2020.
Target also said it collaborating with CVS (CVS), which has 1,700 locations in Target stores nationwide, to offer future vaccines to its employees within its stores and distribution centers.