Hyatt Regency Partners With Health Department To Host Community Vaccination Block Party
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A new effort has been launched to get more shots into the arms of members of hospitality workers in Baltimore.
An industry hit hard by the pandemic and is ready to get back on its feet again as covid-19 vaccines are now widely available and summer travel is booming.
"Life is now sort of coming back to some sort of normalcy and we want to keep on that trajectory and make sure we can keep our doors open," said Ilemona Salifu, Area Director of Sales, Marketing & Events at Hyatt Regency in Baltimore.
This comes as the Delta variant is fueling a rise in covid-19 cases across the nation including in Maryland.
That's why the Hyatt Regency in the Inner Harbor decided to team up with the city's health department to host a Community Vaccination Block Party on Friday, July 30 and Aug. 27 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"We're not just here to do transactions and sell hotel rooms, we're definitely here to make sure we're doing some good as well in the communities that we do business in," said Salifu.
Hospitality workers who work in the Inner Harbor along with the rest of the community are invited to the hotel's Charles Street entrance for a chance to roll up their sleeves.
"We're going to have food, drinks, a DJ, some local vendors that are going to be participating," said Salifu.
Many employees in the restaurant industry like Jimi Jefferson said this is an opportunity they're fortunate to have available.
"We understand that the best way that we can support the community is by taking care of ourselves first. Making sure we are healthy and we can keep each other safe and we can keep our guests safe," said Jefferson.
Jefferson also added it's a key effort that can help us get back to normal. "Keep yourself safe so that we can stay open and we continue to be here for you and you can continue to see us because we don't want to do that lonely shutdown thing again," said Jefferson.
