Tractor Supply is incentivizing its workers with $50 additional pay and any necessary time off to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The company, headquartered in Brentwood, clarified that they wouldn’t be mandating the vaccine. Instead, Tractor Supply stated that the decision to be vaccinated should remain between the employee and their primary care physician. This arrangement would also extend to its workers in Petsense, another retailer owned and operated by the company.
Additionally, Tractor Supply announced that it had partnered with an undisclosed third-party provider to host vaccination clinics at their eight distribution centers and their store support center.
The Tennessee Star inquired with Tractor Supply spokespersons about the exact amount of time off that it would allow its employees, as well as the company’s response in the rare event that one of their workers experiences an adverse reaction to the vaccination. Its spokespersons were unable to issue a response by press time.
Tractor Supply isn’t the only major chain to pay its workers to receive the vaccine. Target also announced on Wednesday that it would award its workers for time spent getting the vaccine: up to four hours’ worth of pay and cover up to $30 in Lyft expenses to any vaccination site. Last month, retailers such as Dollar General, Trader Joe’s, and Aldi all promised similar incentives to their workers: up to four hours’ pay to offset the time away from work, and scheduling flexibility.
According to data collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 44 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered – well over 33 million have received at least the first dose (over 10 percent of the population), and just over 10 million have received both doses (just over 3 percent of the population).
Even if an individual receives the vaccine, the CDC still holds that public health measures such as masking and social distancing would be necessary. On Wednesday, the CDC released a report stating that wearing two masks instead of one – or, double masking – was more effective.
However, White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci – the initial proponent of double masking, calling it “common sense” – suggested this week that CDC guidelines could change in the near future as vaccinations increase.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tractor Supply Store” by Michael Rivera. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Funny how these businesses have to bribe employees to take Gates/Fauci shots. But absolutely nothing will change for them, IF the shots don’t permanently damage them. Permanent do-nothing masks anyway. I guess not enough people falling for the “deadly” Coronahoax and think they need the shots that Fauci said will not confer immunity, will not prevent infection and will not prevent spread.