In Thursday’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said businesses are encouraged to provide incentives for getting the vaccine to their employees.
Lt. Gov. Henderson led the briefing on Thursday, with Gov. Spencer Cox being absent.
“It’s time for businesses to start offering incentives to their employees like paid time off to get the vaccination or recover from side effects," she said. "We’ve heard of some businesses offering cash incentives and gift cards. We encourage businesses to be bold and generous when it comes to offering these incentives.”
Lt. Gov. Henderson said the state has a goal of getting 70% of Utah adults vaccinated with at least one dose by July 4, and it is important for businesses and organizations to lead by example.
She said businesses providing incentives to employees will greatly help more Utahns to receive the vaccine, as well as hosting pop up vaccination sites, which she said are easy to organize and there is no minimum requirement of employees.
As of Thursday, the seven day rolling average for positive cases was 276 per day, which is up from 208 per day last week.
Dr. Michelle Hofmann, deputy director of the Utah Department of Health, said the increase in cases may be due to Memorial Day weekend, less mask wearing and unvaccinated Utahns.
Lt. Gov. Henderson also addressed the severe drought the state of Utah is currently facing.
“This drought we are experiencing this year is extremely severe," she said. "It’s going to require every single one of us to take actions, and do our part to mitigate its terrible effects.”
She said efforts to conserve water are needed and will go a long way.