Salem Offers $500 To Employees In Vaccine-Proof Order Businesses

SALEM, MA —Employees who work in businesses covered under Salem's new vaccination=proof entry order could be in line for a $500 bonus if they stick it out for at least six weeks.

The city's latest employee incentive program makes the bonus available to new and current employees of bars, restaurants, museums, theaters and other entertainment venues covered under the order. Employees may be on the payroll of a covered business for at least 30 hours over six consecutive weeks starting between Jan. 15 and Feb. 4.

Salem is one of three communities in Eastern Mass. — including Boston and Brookline —that began requiring vaccination proof to enter certain businesses on Jan. 15. Mayor Kim Driscoll had said in a business forum on the vaccination order that the city was working on the incentive program for employees who now have to check vaccination cards and for businesses to hire additional staff members who are also required to fulfill the vaccination requirement.

"I encourage every eligible business to apply for this financial support program for their qualifying employees," Driscoll said on Friday. "We are all working hard to keep our community safe and our small businesses open and strong."

(Also on Patch: Salem Business-Entry Vaccination Order: What You Need To Know)

Driscoll said that while the city has seen a net gain in businesses over the past two years she realizes "that doesn't mean it has been easy for those who have held on."

Bonus applications must be submitted by Feb. 7 and can be found here — along with a full list of eligible businesses and employees.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)