U.S. President Joe Biden talks about 50 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine given in the United States during a milestone event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on the 25th. February 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
White House officials will unveil a new partnership between the administration and major business groups on Friday to help with Covid-19’s national response and vaccine deployment, a senior administration official told CNBC.
The collaboration will include the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the National Manufacturers Association, as well as leaders from Hispanic, African American, Asian American and other minority business organizations, the official said.
The purpose of the partnership, according to the official, is to call on companies of all sizes “to promote public health measures that help reduce barriers to vaccinations for employees and help amplify public health messages. around masking and vaccinations to their clients and communities. ”The New York Times previously reported on the association.
Outside the partnership, Walgreens and Uber are launching a pilot program to offer free trips to pharmacies to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Other companies, such as Dollar General, Best Buy and Target, have said they will compensate their employees with paid time off to get the vaccine.
The White House, with its new business partners, will urge more companies to do the same, the official said.
“Over the next few weeks, the Biden administration, in collaboration with these groups, will provide companies with toolkits and good practices at Covid-19 to help organizations provide accurate and up-to-date information to their employees and customers. “, said the official. “Together, these organizations will reach millions of companies and tens of millions of employees to promote efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19.”
The administration will also highlight the various ways companies work to assist in the response to Covid-19, the official said. Government officials are expected to discuss the initiative further at the White House Covid-19 briefing at 11 a.m. ET.