b'NEWSWIRE:Public Ferry Systems CanTransit NEWSWIRE Compete For $2.2 BillionSystems Urged in Pandemic Assistance To Promote (FTA)hasapproximately$2.2tooperations,personnel,cleaning,andCOVID-19 T heFederalTransitAdministrationexpensesinclude:operatingcostsrelated billion available in fi year 2021sanitizationcombatingthespreadofVaccinations scal AmericanRescuePlanActAdditionalpathogensontransitsystems,anddebt AssistanceFundingforeligibletransitservicepaymentsincurredtomaintain systems, including public ferries.A copy ofoperations and avoid layoff s and furloughs theFederal Registerannouncement can beas a result of COVID-19. A sCOVID-19vaccinationrates found here.continue to climb across the country, ProposalsmustbesubmittedtheFederalTransitAdministration electronicallythrough www.grants.gov For further(FTA)isurgingtransitagencies,including by Monday, November 8, 2021. information, contact ferrysystems,toensuretheirworkersand communitieshaveeveryopportunitytoget AmericanRescuePlanActAdditionalSARAH CLEMENTS, the vaccine.AssistancefundingisavailablethroughaFTA Oce of Program competitive process to eligible recipients orManagement According to the Mayo Clinic and the Centers subrecipientsofUrbanizedAreaFormulafor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), funds(49U.S.C.5307)orRuralArea202-366-3062 in the past two months, more Americans have Formula funds (49 U.S.C. 5311) in responseFTAarpassistance@dot.gov begun getting vaccinated against COVID-19. tothecoronaviruspandemic. EligibleIt was during that time that the Food and Drug Administration gave fi (not experimental)nal approval tothe Pfi zer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Aug. 23.Hesitancytowardthevaccinehasalso plummeted,accordingtoarecentIpsos poll. Only14percentofAmericansnow saythattheyareabsolutelynotlikelyto get vaccinated.FTA is calling on transit leaders to share this information with employees and to encourage vaccination among workforces. Some agencies haveprovidedpaidtimeoff toreceivethe vaccine, cash awards, or gift cards to motivate employees to get vaccinated.Medical experts state that vaccination is the mosteff ectivewayforpersonstoprotect themselvesandthosearoundthemfrom contractingCOVID-19. Tomaximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possiblyspreadingittoothers,theCDC advises everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.FTA urges frontline transit workers, andthetransitagenciestheyworkfor,to make plans to get themselves vaccinated and continue to facilitate access to vaccination sites for members of the community who have yet to get a shot.NEWSWIRE 40 FOGHORN'