EMS safety
Staff from two quarantined shifts at the Makhanda ambulance base elected not to return to work this week. The emergency services workers are on the same shifts as two staff members who recently tested positive for Covid-19 and say they will return to work once they receive their own tests results, and their two colleagues test negative.
The base, in Sunnyside, was closed on 15 May and two full shifts sent home to self isolate for a fortnight after the two employees received their results. The full staff complement of 69 had been tested for the coronavirus on 6 May and the results of all but the two were negative. The two shifts totalling 28 were due to return to work on Thursday 28 May.
But during a meeting at the base on Thursday morning, they said they were afraid to do so without knowing their own latest test results and assurance that their two infected co-workers were now negative.
“We are waiting for our results. Let the results come and then we can resume our duties,” another said. In addition they didn’t know if the base had been properly disinfected.
“We told the employer they can open up the station, we have no problem with that, but they must use staff from other stations.
“All we want is to be safe, and it’s the employer’s responsibility to make sure we’re working in a safe environment. We want to come to work, but only if we are tested and the result is negative.”
Grocott’s Mail sent questions to the Department of Health. We had not received a response by the time of publishing and will update this article at this link as soon as we do.
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