The mayor announced on Wednesday at a press conference. “It does not get better than that,” de Blasio said.

The announcement comes just days after the mayor said all city workers would have to be vaccinated or go through strict weekly testing protocols.

Beginning Friday, the cash reward will be handed out to city residents and employees who make an appointment at city-run vaccination sites. An official said at the press conference that first-time shot takers will either be mailed a pre-paid debit card or be issued a digital one immediately via email.

The mayor said “I personally believe that the guarantee that right then and there you’re going to be rewarded, I think that’s going to make a big difference to people. It was the right thing to do for yourself, for your family, for your community. You did the right thing, and the reward is that you were kept safe and alive because of it. But, we understand it’s been a huge amount of misinformation … particularly through social media getting anything but the truth. We got a lot we’ve got to overcome.”

More than 9 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the city.

The mayor said over 59 per cent of the city’s population has received at least one Covid-19 shot, but that’s not enough.

“That misinformation, that fear has hurt,” he said. “And what’s in all of our interest is to get every single additional person vaccinated.”

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,”

Saleh was found dead in his New York apartment with the dismembered body of the deceased in a building on E Houston at Suffolk Street on the Lower Eastside at about 3:30 pm on Tuesday, according to New York Daily News.

The officers said they went thereafter the deceased’s sister called 911 because she had not seen her brother in a day.

The Officers also said the limbless, headless torso of the 33-year-old was found with an electric saw lying next to the remains.

Also, Hussain Elius, a ’Pathao’ Co-founder while reacting to his gruesome murder said they were shocked to hear of his demise.

”We are shocked and saddened to hear the reports of the death of Fahim Saleh, one of the founding members of the Pathao team.

“Fahim believed in the potential for technology to transform lives in Bangladesh and beyond.

“He saw the promise in us when all we had was a common purpose and a shared vision.

“He was, and will forever remain, an incredible inspiration for Pathao and our entire ecosystem,” he said.

Fahim was born in Saudi Arabia to Bangladeshi immigrants.

He started Gokada, a motorcycle ride-sharing company in Lagos, in 2018 and raised $5.3 million in venture capital in June 2019.

The business, however, faced major setbacks and mass layoffs after Lagos State banned commercial motorcycles (Okada) from operating, in January 2020.