Mehuron’s Supermarket in Waitsfield has applied for hazard pay for its frontline employees who worked during the COVID pandemic. Business co-owner Bruce Hyde Jr. said that the application had been accepted and he was waiting for the state funds to distribute to employees.
Hyde said that he and co-owner Tom Mehuron had also been paying $400 a month COVID bonuses for full-time staff, prorated for part-time staff.
Grocery store workers were among those eligible for a second round of Vermont Frontline Employees Hazard Pay grants from the state. The first round of grants for frontline employees did not include grocery and hardware employees.
John Wilson at Bisbee Hardware in Waitsfield said one of his employees, Will Houghton, had looked into it and didn’t feel the store qualified.
“From what he could gather, we closed and went curbside for about a month and that means we don’t qualify,” Wilson said.
Donna Kenyon, at Kenyon’s Variety in Waitsfield, hadn’t applied, she said.
Only employers can apply for the grants for current and past employees who worked between March 13 and May 15. The grants range from $1,200 to $2,000 per employee. The funds are available through the state of Vermont and come from federal coronavirus relief funds. Other eligible employees include day care staff, assisted living staff, janitorial staff, dental employees, funeral home employees, food service providers, health care workers and others.
Grant applications are due November 13. Details on the grant program can be found here: https://dvha.vermont.gov/front-line-employees-hazard-pay-grant-program
