A Vaccine Drive for Hospitality Workers Is Taking Place in Austin Over the Weekend

Austin restaurant workers will be able to register for COVID-19 vaccinations this weekend. Workers can register online for an appointment on Sunday, 2 at the Circuit of the Americas at 9201 Circuit of the Americas Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Appointments aren’t required though.

This event is part of the Great Texas Hospitality Worker Vaccine Drive, a joint project of the Texas Restaurant Association, the Texas Food & Wine Alliance, and Good Work Austin. The vaccine is free and available regardless of immigration status. (Employers may also be able to provide paid sick leave for their employees for the time needed to go get the vaccine.)

This hospitality-focused drive is happening concurrently with the weekly Central Texas Counties Vaccine Collaborative, run by Travis County and CommUnityCare. The drive-thru clinic has been operating since late February; ride-shares and bikes are welcomed as well.

This drive was supposed to take place on Saturday, May 1 as well, but that day has been canceled due to thunderstorms.

Currently, 25.9 percent of Texans are fully vaccinated. There are still a little less than 900 active cases in Travis County.

Vaccines are available to all adults in Texas over the age of 16 as of March 29. However, Governor Greg Abbott ended the statewide mask mandate on March 10 before making the vaccine available to restaurant workers (Austin restaurant workers protested this on March 8). The city of Austin still has a mask mandate in place.

For more information on how restaurant workers can receive a vaccine, check out our guide available in English and Spanish.

Update, Friday, April 30, 11:02 p.m.: This article, originally published on Thursday, April 29, has been updated to reflect Saturday’s cancellation.

• Great Texas Hospitality Worker Vaccine Drive [Official]