News10 [dot] com is reporting Dollar General will pay its workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Its employees will each receive the equivalent of four hours of wages if they choose to be vaccinated, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal. The Tennessee-based variety store is one of the first large employers to pay employees to receive the vaccine. The company has 16,720 retail locations in 47 states and more than 157,000 employees. Experts say employers can require workers to take safety measures, including vaccination. That does not necessarily mean getting fired if the vaccine is refused, but the employee might have to sign a waiver or agree to work under specific conditions to limit any risk posed to the worker or to others. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has allowed companies to mandate the flu and other vaccines and has also indicated they can require COVID-19 vaccines. There are exceptions — people can request exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Dollar General has stores in Greene and Columbia counties, including locations in Greenport, Athens, West Coxsackie, Cairo and Palenville. Read the full story at news10 [dot] com.