Tennessee grocery store workers want higher vaccine priority ranking

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    NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV ) — Tennessee grocery store workers are frustrated over their position on the COVID-19 vaccination priority list.

Currently, the federal government categorizes grocery store workers as critical infrastructure, and in most states, those employees will receive vaccines in phase two.

But in Tennessee, grocery store workers are grouped in phase three.

TN Grocers and Convenience Store Association President Rob Ikard says that needs to change.

“It’s very frustrating,” Ikard said. “For grocery store workers who have been on the front lines throughout this entire pandemic to be given the same priority as inmates in state penitentiaries and well behind what the state deems as critical infrastructure is very frustrating.”

News4 reached out to the governor’s office to ask why Tennessee grocers are so far down on the vaccination list. We also wanted to know if that could change in the future.

So far, we have not received a response.

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