Pennsylvania governor offering state employees who get vaccinated 5 days of paid leave

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s (D) administration announced Monday that it will be offering five days of paid leave to employees if they get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of this year, reports The Associated Press.

There are more than 70,000 employees who work for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who are eligible for this incentive, according to the AP. 

Wolf’s administration stated in an email to employees that this “verification leave” is eligible for use between Dec. 20 and March 31 and that an already-vaccinated employee who has gone through verification will automatically be granted their five-day bonus leave, reports the AP. 

Wolf’s administration is already offering its employees a paid day off to get the shot, according to the AP. 

“This leave will help incentivize the vaccinations that protect commonwealth employees and the Pennsylvanians we serve,” the administration told employees.

Wolf on Friday tweeted an update on Pennsylvania’s vaccination rate showing that about 72 percent of Pennsylvanian adults were fully vaccinated. 

Pennsylvania’s daily vaccine update:

13,784,386 vaccines administered
71.6% of PA’ians 18+ fully vaccinated
91.6% of PA’ians 18+ have received at least one dose
National ranking in first doses administered: 6

— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) October 29, 2021

Several states have offered different types of vaccine incentives to their residents throughout the vaccine rollout, including lottery drawings. 

In June, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced that guns would be given out as a vaccine incentive. 

Last month, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz (D) stated that teenagers who got vaccinated would be able to receive a $200 Visa gift card through November.

President Biden has been supportive of states’ vaccine incentive initiatives and programs. In July, the president instructed state and local governments to use funds from his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan to offer $100 payments to residents in order to promote and spur on COVID-19 vaccinations.