Biden administration to tap private companies, corporate groups for help with Covid fight

White House officials on Friday will unveil a new partnership between the administration and top business groups to assist with the national Covid-19 response and vaccine rollout, a senior administration official told CNBC.

The partnership includes the Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, and leaders in Hispanic, African American, Asian American and other minority business, the official said.

The goal of the partnership, the official said, is to call on companies of all sizes to “promote public health measures to reduce barriers to workers’ vaccinations, and to strengthen public health messages around masking and vaccinations to their customers and communities.” The New York Times previously reported on the collaboration.

Outside of the partnership, Walgreens and Uber are launching a pilot program to offer pharmacies free rides to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Other companies, such as Dollar General, Best Buy, and Target, have said they will compensate their employees with paid time off to get the vaccine.

The White House, with their new business partners, will urge more companies to do the same, the official said.

“In the coming weeks, Biden’s administration, in conjunction with these groups, will provide businesses with toolkits and best practices for Covid-19 to help organizations provide accurate and up-to-date information to their employees and customers,” the official said. “Together, these organizations will reach millions of companies and tens of millions of employees to promote efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19.”

The administration will also highlight the different ways companies are working to assist in the response to Covid-19, the official said. Government officials are expected to discuss the initiative more during the White House Covid-19 briefing at 11 a.m.ET.