‘Fuming’ truckies turned away from Covid-19 vaccination clinics, testing sites

Truckies say it’s outrageous they're now being turned away from Covid-19 vaccination clinics and testing sites based on inaccurate advice.

A series of cases of truck drivers being turned away from Covid-19 testing and vaccination sites is “outrageous and unacceptable”, their representative body says.

SA Road Transport Association executive officer Steve Shearer said he had heard of about 15 cases of drivers being told to leave centres because they could not provide evidence of being tested in the previous 72 hours.

SARTA executive director Steve Shearer.

He suspected there were many more incidents that had not been reported to the association.

There is no blanket requirement for all truck drivers to be tested every 72 hours.

However, if entering SA from NSW, Victoria or the ACT, they must either show evidence of a negative test from the previous three days, or be tested within 12 hours of entering.

“It’s mind-bogglingly stupid to turn them away because they haven’t had a test within three days,” Mr Shearer said.

“These fools who are turning them away are preventing them from complying with the law.”

Six interstate truck drivers have entered SA over recent weeks while infected with the coronavirus, prompting a new rule that from September 27, those crossing the border from high risk areas must have also had at least one Covid-19 jab.

Mr Shearer met with health officials on Monday and understood moves were being made to increase truckies’ access to vaccinations and tests on major transport routes.

It’s expected some drivers will opt to forgo work once the vaccination rule is enforced, raising worries about moving supplies around the country.

Rodney Caridi, of Salisbury North, said he was “fuming” after being turned away from his vaccination appointment at Elizabeth on Saturday, September 4.

A staff member told him she had been advised to not vaccinate any interstate truck drivers who turned up at the clinics.

“I rang the Covid hotline as soon as I walked out and they said they’d had a whole heap of truck drivers ring up and say the same thing,” Mr Caridi said.

He travels to Melbourne five times a fortnight, he was eager to get vaccinated as his son has a suppressed immune system.

“I could not believe I’d been turned away – I was dumbfounded, considering it was on the news that interstate truck drivers had to be vaccinated.”

He has since received his first shot at the Wayville clinic.

An SA Health spokeswoman said essential freight workers could now receive the Covid-19 vaccine without an appointment, with proof of their employment.

Walk-in appointments are available for freight workers at the Wayville, Elizabeth, Noarlunga, Enfield, Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Clare, Wallaroo, Port Pirie, Mount Gambier, Murray Bridge and Berri Covid-19 vaccination clinics.

“To make the vaccine as accessible as possible to freight workers, we will set up pop-up vaccine clinics at our Tailem Bend and Yamba testing sites, which will begin operating this month and will vaccinate both local and interstate truck drivers,” she said.

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