Yahoo Finance The global city paying people $135 to get jabbed
New Yorkers who get vaccinated from Friday will get a US$100 hand-out in a desperate bid to contain the latest Delta outbreak in the city.
From Friday 30 July, New Yorkers will get $100 if they get their first vaccine dose at a city-run vaccination site if they show proof of New York residence or employment, the city mayor said.
“When you get your first dose, you will get a $100 incentive,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this week. “It does not get better than that.”
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De Blasio said he believes the cash will tempt people to get the vaccine.
“I personally believe the guarantee that, right then and there, you’re going to be rewarded, I think that’s going to make a big difference to people,” he said.
New Yorkers will get the money through prepaid debit cards that can either be emailed digitally or mailed in a physical form to their homes, according to NY Daily News.
The major global city is currently battling a spike of Delta variant cases, with authorities ramping up efforts to get residents inoculated.
On Thursday 29 July, New York City recorded 1,470 new cases, the highest number in two months. Roughly 4 in 10 residents are unvaccinated, according to City of New York data.
New York residents were told on Monday that they would either have to get vaccinated or be subject to mandatory testing every week.
The mayor announced that the “voluntary phase” is over and said the city was “climbing a ladder”.
Additionally, unvaccinated municipal employees will have to wear a mask in workplaces.
“We’ve got to shake people at this point and say, ‘Come on now.’ We tried voluntary. We could not have been more kind and compassionate. Free testing, everywhere you turn, incentives, friendly, warm embrace. The voluntary phase is over,” he told MSNBC.
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