In Ann Arbor, Gift Cards for Restaurant Workers to Get Vaccinated on June 3

Ann Arbor restaurant workers can receive a free $50 Visa gift card if they show up for a COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, June 3, at Zingerman’s Greyline.

Wednesday’s vaccination clinic is the latest in a series of pop-ups across the state in communities with high foot traffic and a concentration of restaurants, bars, and hotels. Restaurant owners, who’ve been hit hard in the pandemic, have seized the opportunity to get in on the vaccination game, hosting“shots for shots” or “shots in the arms” events at their eateries.

The first 100 workers in the restaurant, hospitality, or retail industries will receive gift cards at the clinic, put on by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, the Small Business Association of Michigan, and Protect Michigan Commission. Health department officials will administer the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the two-dose Pfizer. Proof of health insurance isn’t required, and no appointment is necessary.

In Ann Arbor’s Washtenaw County, 63.2 percent of residents have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. In comparison, 34.4 percent of Detroiters 16 and older and 53.3 percent of all Michiganders have received at least one shot, a suggestion the incentives are a hard sell in the city. State health officials have previously said the goal is to have 70 percent of Michiganders vaccinated. Detroit also rolled out a Good Neighbor program last month, which gifts city residents $50 for each neighbor they take in to receive a vaccine. Wayne State is offering students $10 toward Grubhub and Meijer is giving grocery customers 10 bucks.

Incentives in Ohio may have turned more heads. Gov. Mike DeWine of the neighboring state is awarding $1 million to five Ohio adults who’ve gotten the COVID shots. Teens are eligible for a full-ride, four-year university scholarship. No, out-of-state residents are not eligible, but the National Football League is giving away 50 free tickets to Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 in Los Angeles to individuals who have received their coronavirus vaccine.

Wednesday’s vaccination clinic at Zingerman’s Greyline event space, 100 N. Ashley St., will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments are preferred; schedule at http://bit.ly/greylinevax

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