The time spent is counted as worked time for all legal purposes.
As winter approaches Chile's Coquimbo region, health and labor authorities are reminding workers of a quiet but meaningful right already written into law: paid time off to get vaccinated against influenza. With coverage sitting at 62 percent and cold months drawing near, the campaign is less an imposition than an invitation — a collective nudge toward a protection that benefits households, workplaces, and communities alike. Sometimes the most important barriers are the ones we only imagine are there.
- Winter is closing in on Coquimbo and only 62% of the population has been vaccinated against flu — regional officials want that number higher before viral transmission peaks.
- Many eligible workers simply don't know they're entitled to half a day of paid leave, including travel time, to get their shot — a legal right going quietly unclaimed.
- Health and labor secretaries staged a joint vaccination event at a local supermarket to make the process visible, accessible, and impossible to dismiss as complicated.
- The mechanics are minimal: two days' notice to your employer, proof of vaccination afterward, and the time counts as fully worked — the barrier is smaller than most people assume.
- Three public vaccination points have been set up across La Serena — at the Plaza de Armas, Mall Plaza, and Community Center La Pampa — to meet people where they already are.
Winter is approaching Chile's Coquimbo region, and health authorities are making a pointed reminder: workers in risk groups have a legal right to take half a day of paid leave to get vaccinated against influenza. The benefit exists in labor law, but it has largely gone unnoticed.
In May, the regional health and labor secretaries launched a coordinated campaign to change that. They organized a vaccination operation at a local Unimarc supermarket — a deliberate choice to show how simple the process can be. Health secretary Karen Irribarra framed vaccination as a family priority that also reduces workplace sick days. Labor secretary Andrea Barrera laid out the details plainly: half a day off with pay, travel time included, requiring only two days' notice to the employer and proof of vaccination afterward. The time is counted as worked for all legal purposes.
The supermarket's own manager endorsed the effort, noting that prevention matters most when seasonal viruses begin circulating. Meanwhile, the city of La Serena has opened three additional vaccination points — at the Plaza de Armas, Mall Plaza, and Community Center La Pampa — to lower the practical threshold for getting vaccinated.
The urgency is real: as of late May, Coquimbo had reached 62 percent flu vaccination coverage — a reasonable foundation, but not enough for officials heading into peak respiratory season. The campaign's core argument is simple: the obstacle most workers believe exists — that work stands between them and their health — doesn't have to.
Winter is coming to Chile's Coquimbo region, and the health authorities are making a straightforward pitch: if you're in a risk group, you have the right to leave work for half a day to get vaccinated against the flu. It's a benefit written into labor law, and it's sitting there unused.
The regional health and labor secretaries launched a coordinated push in May to remind workers of this entitlement. They set up a vaccination operation at a local supermarket—Unimarc—to demonstrate how simple the process could be and to spread the word about the paid leave provision. The message was direct: this isn't a favor. It's a right. And using it protects not just you, but your family and your workplace.
Karen Irribarra, the regional health secretary, framed it as a family priority. Getting vaccinated matters for households, she said, and it also cuts down on sick days at work—a win for employers trying to maintain productivity. Andrea Barrera, her counterpart in the labor department, spelled out the mechanics: workers in the vaccination campaign get half a day off with pay. That includes travel time to and from the health center. The only requirement is giving your employer two days' notice and presenting proof of vaccination afterward. The time spent is counted as worked time for all legal purposes.
The logistics are straightforward enough that even a supermarket chain saw the value. Lionel Gubier, the manager at Unimarc, said the company has always been ready to support vaccination campaigns. Prevention matters, especially when viruses start circulating more heavily. He encouraged workers to use the benefit.
La Serena, the main city in the region, has set up three vaccination points outside of health centers to make access easier: the Plaza de Armas, the Mall Plaza, and the Community Center La Pampa. Ignacio Díaz from the municipal health department noted that winter is nearly here, so the time to act is now. Getting ahead of the seasonal surge in respiratory illness is the whole point.
But the numbers suggest the message hasn't fully landed yet. As of late May, the Coquimbo region had vaccinated 62 percent of its population against influenza. That's a decent start, but regional officials want it higher before the cold months arrive and virus transmission picks up. The campaign is less about coercion and more about removing barriers—and reminding people that the barrier they think exists, the one where work gets in the way of health, doesn't actually have to.
Citas Notables
This is prioritary for families. It's also a great benefit for companies because it reduces the risk of work absences.— Karen Irribarra, Regional Health Secretary
Workers in the vaccination campaign have half a day of paid leave, a right that includes travel time to and from the health center.— Andrea Barrera, Regional Labor Secretary
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a region need to remind workers about a benefit that's already in the law?
Because knowing a right exists and actually using it are two different things. Workers might not know the law allows it, or they might worry their boss will resent them for taking the time. The authorities are trying to normalize it.
What's the real problem they're trying to solve?
Two things at once. One is the vaccination rate—62 percent is okay, but it drops off before winter hits, and that's when respiratory viruses surge. The other is that employers and workers both benefit from vaccination, but that connection isn't always obvious to people.
Why set up the vaccination site at a supermarket instead of a health center?
Because that's where workers already are. You remove one more friction point. You show them it's accessible, it's quick, and their employer supports it. It's easier to get vaccinated at your workplace than to leave, travel somewhere else, wait, and come back.
Does the two-day notice requirement actually make sense, or is it just bureaucracy?
It's practical. It gives the employer time to adjust the schedule. But it also means a worker can't just decide on a whim to leave. There's a small commitment required on both sides.
What happens if the vaccination rate doesn't go up?
Winter arrives with more people unprotected. More absences from work, more strain on health services, more illness spreading through families. The authorities are trying to prevent that cascade before it starts.