COVID Vaccine Freebie: If You Live Here, You’ll Get A Free Beer For Being Vaccinated

While several companies are offering perks to people who get inoculated, one state is giving anyone over 21 an ice-cold incentive to get their COVID vaccine.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday via Twitter that any adult who receives their first COVID shot in the month of May can get a free beer from a participating brewery just by showing their vaccination card.

The COVID vaccine perk is part of New Jersey’s push to get residents vaccinated under Murphy’s “Shot and a Beer” project that has partnered with over a dozen state breweries for free beers for vaccine recipients.

Participating breweries include Battle River Brewing, Brix City Brewing Company, Little Dog Brewing Company, and Hackensack Brewing Company, among others.

The “Shot and a Beer” program comes just as the state rolled out its “Operation Jersey Summer” program, which Murphy said in a tweet puts “into overdrive our work to hit our initial target of 4.7 million vaccinated New Jerseyans by June 30th.”

The announcement also follows Murphy’s easing of restrictions for indoor dining, removing the 50% capacity limit on bars and restaurants.

He said on Twitter, starting May 19, that “Restaurants will be allowed to operate at whatever capacity allows them to continue to ensure a minimum six-foot distance between groups”

Murphy also removed the 50-person capacity limits on social gatherings, raising limits for indoor events such as catered functions, funerals and memorial services, political events, and commercial gatherings to 250 people with social distancing restrictions. Also starting on May 19, large venues with 1,000 or more seats have been increased to 30% seating capacity, he said.

“ The steps announced today are the most aggressive steps we have taken to reopen to date. We feel confident we can do this safely because our numbers have trended decisively in the right direction over the last three weeks,” Murphy said on Twitter.

As of Tuesday morning, New Jersey had administered over 7.1 million doses of the COVID vaccine, with over 3.1 million people fully vaccinated in the state, according to data from the New Jersey Department of Health.