Tuesday, April 6, 2021 - 09:35 Mark Viales

British Senior Citizen says he was denied vaccine on the Rock

by MARK VIALES
A British national close to 70-years-of-age claims the Gibraltar Government has denied him access to the Covid-19 vaccine even though he meets the required specifications.

Ian Clarke, 69, from Bristol, told Panorama he provided government officials with all necessary paperwork to prove his five-year-long stay on his sailing boat berthed at Queensway Quay Marina.
However, following email correspondence with a Senior Social Care worker he was refused access to the vaccine without a valid reason and remains vulnerable to the virus.
“I’m fearful of going outside but I have no choice,” he said. “I live by myself on this boat, so I need to go out to get food and supplies. I’m walking around unprotected and if I catch the virus, I will probably be sent to hospital.”
Registered residents, cross-frontier workers and people who can prove living in Gibraltar since November automatically qualify for Gibraltar’s vaccine, but Mr Clarke claims the latter is a grey area.
Indeed, a German couple docked at the same marina since November claimed they had already received their first dose of the vaccine in Gibraltar.