In efforts to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a concert promoter in Florida is charging $18 for tickets to a punk show for those who have received a vaccine, and $999.99 for those who haven’t.
The concert, which will take place on June 26 in St. Petersburg, features a lineup of punk bands Teenage Bottlerocket, MakeWar and Rutterkin. Leadfoot Promotions’ Paul Williams crafted the ticket price tier in order to offer an incentive for concertgoers to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I also wanted it to be a vaccine drive to get the fence-sitters off the fence,” he told ABC News. “I wanted to get the kids that want to go to shows to go out and get their shots.”
So far, Williams has confirmed that no one has purchased one of the $999 tickets, and while the reaction to his plan has been mostly positive, he has certainly received a bit of backlash from those who do not support the vaccine.
“To care about people being safe is very bad apparently,” he said. “You can buy a full-price ticket and you’ll be treated like everyone else.”
Various businesses around the country have been offering incentives for those who have been vaccinated as well. Krispy Kreme, for example, gave out free donuts to those who showed proof of vaccination. Earlier this week, Uber announced that they’ll give up to four free rides to people who are going to get their shot until July 4.
In the beginning of May, President Joe Biden announced a goal for having 70% of the U.S. adult population to have one vaccine shot and 160 million U.S. adults to be completely vaccinated by July 4. According to NPR’s COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker, roughly 40 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated since distribution started in December of 2020.
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