New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said people who get a COVID-19 vaccine at one of eight subway and rail stations will get free rides in return.
The offer is the latest incentive floated to get more people to roll up their sleeves.
Starting Wednesday, there will be six sites within New York City and two just outside the city offering the one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. People who stop for the shot will get a seven-day metro card or two free rides on Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North trains.
Officials will offer the pilot program five days a week and see how it goes.
“Stop, take a few minutes, take the vaccine, and then you get the incentive of a one-week unlimited metro card,” Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a press conference. “Why wouldn’t you do it? No excuse.”
Roughly half of the New York state population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 40% is fully vaccinated.
The governor, whose push to trumpet his COVID-19 response has been damaged by accusations of sexual harassment and charges he undercounted nursing home deaths, is betting that people who don’t go out of their way to get vaccinated will take the shots if they’re put in convenient locations.
Mr. Cuomo recently said baseball fans can get free tickets for Yankees and Mets games if they get vaccinated at the stadiums.
Governors and mayors across the country are offering savings bonds, free beer and other goodies to increase vaccination rates and immunity to the coronavirus.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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