City employees in Columbia, South Carolina, will receive up to $2,500 in hazard pay for working during the pandemic – and they’ll get an extra $500 boost for becoming inoculated by November.
Vaccinations will be mandatory city employees November 1, as Columbia joins a wave of other regions mandating COVID-19 precautions in the public sector.
Offering Columbians a financial incentive to get the jab earlier than necessary was a strategic move, said city Mayor Steve Benjamin.
‘We are taking a methodical and data-driven approach that recognizes the challenge we are all facing together, and we are trying to bring everyone along at a pace that is meaningful to the greater good, but is also meaningful to them individually,’ Benjamin told The State newspaper.
The city also moved during a Tuesday council meeting to reward its frontline employees – including police officers and firefighters - with $2,500 ‘hazard pay’ bonuses as a thanks for working through the pandemic.
The move comes as South Carolina battles an uptick in cases.
Police in Columbia, South Carolina, (shown in a file photo) will receive $2,500 stipends
Other city workers will receive $1,250 stipends.
The hazard pay bonuses are being funded through President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan at a cost of about $5.2million, the outlet reported.
Council in the capital city also greenlighted a three percent pay hike for its employees Tuesday to offset inflation. The pay raise goes into effect next February.
On the vaccination front, city manager Teresa Wilson told The State that about 55 percent of Columbia’s 2,300 employees have been inoculated.
Becoming vaccinated is essential for those
