Alabama town offers $200 for workers to get COVID-19 shots

The rural Alabama town of Dora voted to offer its employees a $200 incentive to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The dollars will come from federal pandemic relief money. The Daily Mountain Eagle reports that leaders in the Walker County town say they hope the move would boost the vaccination rate in the town of 2,200. Dora isn’t the first community to open its checkbook to get municipal employees to roll up their sleeves. The city council of Fairhope voted back in August to offer a $500 incentive. The concern there was the possible spread of COVID which could threaten municipal services like police protection and garbage collection. The city of Gadsden was reportedly the first to offer cash payments for workers to get their vaccinations. The University of Alabama system announced last week that all employees will have to get shots by December. The three campuses, plus Auburn University, stated that its workforces are federal contractors and must comply with President Biden’s executive order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations. Workers can apply for medical, disability, or religious exemptions. Opposition to vaccinations against the coronavirus appears persistent in mostly white, conservative towns. About 42% of the population of Dora is fully vaccinated in Walker County. That’s roughly in line with the statewide average.