SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Smith’s Food and Drug stores have been giving a $100 bonus to each associate who is fully vaccinated. Smith’s parent company, Kroger, announced the bonus program in February.

A news release said, “The Kroger Family of Companies’ most urgent priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been to provide a safe environment for our associates and customers while meeting our societal obligation to provide open stores, e-commerce solutions, and an efficiently operating supply chain so that our communities have access to fresh food.”

The company said other pandemic-related incentives include a store credit and fuel points for grocery, warehouse and pharmacy employees.

Customers and associates are required to wear face masks until every front-line worker is vaccinated, although there is no estimate for when that will happen.

The state of Utah has already vaccinated nearly three times more people than the total number of people who tested positive for COVID-19.

The state legislature approved a bill that will lift the Utah mask mandate on April 10. Governor Spencer Cox will likely sign the bill since his administration negotiated with lawmakers on extending that date to ensure the state could vaccinate as many people as possible before the mandate is lifted.

The governor’s office said it will likely make the vaccine available to every adult in the state by April 1.

The mask mandate will continue in schools and at large gatherings after April 10. Individual businesses can also require masks.

One of those businesses is Harmons Grocery. The company said Wednesday that it will continue to focus on safety for associates and customers. “For now, Harmons will maintain its current COVID-19 safety practices, including the wearing of masks,” a news release said.

“The majority of our associates have not yet had the opportunity to get vaccinated, and we will continue to focus on their safety as well as that of our customers,” the release added.

Harmon’s website said its vaccinations appointments are completely booked until March 22.

The company thanked its customers and said it will reconsider the mask policy and removing barriers in stores when it’s appropriate as vaccinations continue and coronavirus case counts decline.