ENOLA – Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday visited Weis Markets in Enola, Cumberland County, to recognize the heroic efforts of Pennsylvania’s grocery store workers who are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The governor expressed his gratitude to Pennsylvania’s 180,000 grocery store workers who suddenly became front-line workers as the state took critical steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Grocery stores were deemed life-sustaining businesses, he said, and these employees put their lives at risk to ensure their stores remained open to the public.
“On behalf of all Pennsylvanians, I want to sincerely thank our grocery workers for all that they do every day to provide for others and keep our communities safe,” Wolf said.
“All Pennsylvanians owe a debt of gratitude to our commonwealth’s grocery workers, and we should all celebrate the fact that this group of frontline heroes now has the option to be vaccinated.”
The Wolf Administration, along with the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, recently announced the start of the special initiative to vaccinate workers in four targeted industries: grocery stores, law enforcement, firefighters and food and agriculture.
As of March 31, workers in these four industries may schedule an appointment to be vaccinated. The estimated 250,000 Pennsylvanians in these targeted industries can schedule an appointment at any vaccination site and receive any of the available doses.
“My administration has worked to support our essential and front-line workers throughout the pandemic and I am proud that Pennsylvania is now able to expand eligibility to protect the same workers who have done so much to protect their neighbors every day for the past year,” Wolf said.
“Our communities will be safer when the people who work most closely with the public are safer. After everything our grocery workers have done to take care of us over the past year, it’s time for us to take care of them.”
Pennsylvania-based Weis Markets is part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership and offers vaccination appointments for eligible Pennsylvanians at 96 of its in-store pharmacies.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Governor Wolf to our Enola store and are grateful for his initiative to prioritize grocery workers for COVID-19 vaccines,” said Jonathan Weis, Weis Markets’ chairman and chief executive officer.
“Over the past year, our associates and many others throughout our industry have risen to the challenge of keeping their customers and fellow workers safe during a time of record demand.
“In addition, our in-store pharmacies have vaccinated more than 100,000 people since January. We look forward to scheduling vaccination appointments for our associates and those who work in the other targeted groups.”
Under the governor’s leadership and in conjunction with the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, Pennsylvania’s vaccination plan continues to move forward quickly and efficiently.
Teachers and school staff for pre-K through 12 were vaccinated under a special initiative that concluded April 2 and that resulted in more than 112,500 vaccinations. Vaccinations continue for child care workers who are also part of that special initiative.
Pennsylvania continued its accelerated vaccination eligibility plan by opening eligibility to all Pennsylvanians in Phase 1B on April 5.
All residents in Phase 1C will be eligible to start scheduling vaccination appointments on April 12. Starting April 19, all Pennsylvanians will be eligible to start scheduling vaccination appointments.
Pennsylvania’s vaccination plan can be found here.
Those eligible for an appointment can access the provider map available here. People without internet access can contact the Health Hotline by calling 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258).
