Publix wants eligible workers to get a vaccine, so the market is offering a $125 reward
Publix wants eligible employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine. And the chain is offering an incentive.
Get a vaccine, get a $125 gift card. A Publix gift card, or course.
The Lakeland-based company said it will not require any of its more than 225,000 employees to get vaccinated. Publix has employees throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
The company is encouraging employees to get vaccinated to “help us take one step closer to getting back to normal,” Publix CEO Todd Jones said in a statement.
All eligible full-time and part-time employees at Publix can get the gift card when they complete the two-dose series of PfizerBioNTech or Moderna’s vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine gift card incentive is similar to one Publix usually offers to customers for the flu shot.
Employees don’t have to get the vaccine at a Publix pharmacy. If they do want to get the shots through Publix, they will need to use the same online portal customers use to book a slot.
They will also be offering vaccines to employees through their “end of doses at night” procedure. The process allows for any leftover doses at the end of the day to be given to eligible associates, to make sure the vaccines don’t go to waste, Publix said.
It may take a while for most eligible Publix employees to get a dose. Vaccine availability is still limited, and appointments, including at Publix, fill up fast. Each state also has its own set of eligibility guidelines.
During the height of the pandemic, Publix stores were frequently closing and reopening as employees tested positive for the virus. By late April, Publix had 30 stores in South Florida that had positive employee cases, the Miami Herald reported.
In Florida, only residents 65 and older, healthcare workers with direct patient contact and long-term care facility residents and staff are eligible for the vaccine. Hospitals also have the option to vaccinate people under 65 deemed to be extremely vulnerable to the disease. And there’s no word yet on when the criteria will change.