Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Dec. 21, 2020:
Truckers now recommended for third COVID vaccine group
Following a meeting of a federal advisory board on Sunday, Dec. 20, truck drivers and other transportation and logistics personnel are now in the third group recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, only behind other frontline essential workers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) placed truckers in Phase 1c, based on the group attempting to find a balance between preventing deaths and preserving a functioning society.
In the first group, Phase 1a, are people in long-term care facilities and healthcare personnel. This group has already started receiving the vaccine from the first vaccine shipments that went out last week.
The second group, Phase 1b, consists of people 75 years old and older, and “frontline essential workers.” Phase 1c, the third group that includes truck drivers, includes people 65-74 years old, those between 16 and 64 with high-risk medical conditions, and “other essential workers.”
Workers considered “frontline essential workers” in Phase 1b include first responders, teachers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers and more. In the “other essential workers” group are transportation and logistics workers, food service workers and more.
Congress reaches agreement on COVID relief bill
As of this writing, text of the bill was not available, but Congressional leaders from both parties were lauding what they said was a bill delivering $900 billion worth in spending in a variety of areas. Most Americans reportedly will receive direct cash infusions of $600, and bonus federal unemployment assistance would be extended for a few more months, including to qualifying self-employed independent contractors.
