: Target, Tractor Supply join list of companies paying workers to get COVID-19 vaccine

United States

Target Corp. TGT, -0.95% said Wednesday that it would offer its workers choosing to get a COVID-19 vaccine up to four hours of pay and free Lyft Inc. LYFT, +4.79% rides up to $ 15 each way to a vaccination site.

The four hours will cover both doses, two hours per dose.

Target has a partnership with CVS Health CVS, +0.46% such that CVS has 1,700 locations in Target stores.

The Biden administration announced last week that it would expand access to pharmacies nationwide. Target says it will evaluate whether those CVS locations will be able to provide vaccine access to workers and guests at some point.

Tractor Supply Co. TSCO, -1.29% also said on Wednesday that it would offer workers a one-time $ 50 payment and as much time as needed to get the COVID vaccine. The company has also partnered with a third-party to provide access at its eight distribution centers and store support centers, when that option is available.

Tractor Supply notes that workers are not required to get the vaccine.

See: Instacart, Trader Joe’s, Dollar General plan financial incentives to encourage workers to get vaccinated

And on Thursday, Petco Health & Wellness Co. WOOF, -1.80% said it would offer a one-time payment of $ 75 to workers who opt for the coronavirus vaccine. The company will also donate $ 25 to the Petco Partner Assistance Fund for each staff member who gets fully vaccinated. The fund provides financial assistance to employees who need it, with $ 1.3 million administered since March 2020.

A number of retailers have announced that they will pay workers who choose to get vaccinated, among them Kroger Co. KR, Dollar General Inc. DG and grocer Trader Joe’s.

New data suggest that Black Americans will have to travel farther than whites to get the COVID-19 vaccine, posing transportation barriers.

“The vaccine is very important for Black Americans to receive — and we need to make it easier for them to get it, not harder,” Lucas Berenbrok, an assistant professor at the Pitt School of Pharmacy, told MarketWatch during a discussion of the study.

Also: Black Americans are more likely to travel farther to get COVID-19 vaccines

Target also recently announced that it will invest $ 200 million on worker bonuses. The retailer, like many others, has given its front-line employees a number of bonuses over the past year.

Target stock has rallied 65% over the past year. Tractor Supply shares have gained 60.4%.

The benchmark S&P 500 index SPX, -0.03% is up 16.4% for the period.