Free mask confusion

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

PHARMACIES are not providing free Covid masks as some customers have assumed after reading a full page Unite Against Covid-19 advert in the Herald.

It appears the advertisement has misled some people and caused confusion for some pharmacies.

Barbara Barwick visited Pharmacy 53 and Sean Shivnan Pharmacy and tried unsuccessfully to receive free masks after seeing the advertisement.

Pharmacists Sean Shivnan and Grant Bramwell both said they had received phone calls or “walk-ins” asking for the free masks.

They were unaware of such a scheme and found it frustrating to have to turn customers away.

Nigel Campbell of Pharmacy 53 said pharmacies would have to be sent stock for such a scheme to operate.

After speaking to Mrs Barwick, the Herald checked the advertisement which says free masks are available “at some pharmacies”, and logged on to healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19 which is listed in the advertisement.

As free masks are available at some pharmacies, according to the ad, the Herald keyed in “free masks” into the What Are You Looking For box.

That action produces the name of four Gisborne pharmacies.

A Ministry of Health spokesman said not all pharmacies supplied free RATs and masks.

“It is is an opt-in scheme with local health districts, but we expect more to come on board in the coming weeks if demand continues to be high.”

He said people could check where their local (Gisborne) RAT/mask sites are at: https://tinyurl.com/4rraw9s5

“We recommend people continue to order their RATs through the RAT requester https://requestrats.covid19.health.nz/ (also in the advert) and collect them from their local collection sites.

“Masks will be available for individuals and households when they collect their RATs from these collection sites.”

Those collection sites are Te Tini o Porou, corner of Huxley and Tyndall Roads (Ngati Porou Hauora) and the former railway station (Turanga Health), in Grey Street.

Pharmacies are not RATS collection centres.