From free bath salt giveaways to shopping coupons and discounted taxi rides, municipalities across Japan are coming up with an array of incentive programs to not only prod residents into getting vaccinated against COVID-19, but to help revitalize struggling local businesses.
Japan isn’t alone in seeing efforts by authorities to coax the public into getting vaccinated.
In Israel, which has the highest vaccination rate in the world, a so-called Green Pass has been issued to those fully vaccinated as a ticket back to normalcy, granting its holders access to facilities such as gyms, hotels and theaters. China, too, is accelerating its inoculation campaign as some local governments offer those who have been vaccinated a range of sweeteners from free eggs to grocery discounts.
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