According to New York Mayor,  De Blasio’s office, the effort is to encourage more people to get vaccinated. The Mayor’s office announced that winners will be picked through a lottery to receive the cash after getting a COVID shot and the cash payments will come in the form of debit cards.

According to de Blasio’s office, the $2500 can “make a massive difference in people’s lives.”

More than 8.7 million New Yorkers had gotten vaccinated as of Tuesday morning, June 15, to the mayor’s office and New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo has already lifted up major restrictions in the state that was the hotspot for COVID-19 in the US during the pandemic.

Mayor De Blasio recently said the city likely wouldn’t meet his goal of having 5 million people fully vaccinated by the end of June but they will still fight to get close to that number. This is not the first incentive the city has given for people to get vaccinated. In New York City, offers have included everything from Yankees and Mets tickets to free eats, along with lottery tickets.

The feds are promoting cruise sweepstakes and dating app perks as well.

de Blasio boasted at a Tuesday, June 15 press conference. “We continue to add incentives. We continue to make it more and more exciting for people. Vaccination continues to be the key, but we also love that we’re seeing more and more activity out in the streets, more and more tourism, more and more jobs coming back,”