TA & Petro to host June 15 vaccination clinics; Love’s lifts mask mandate

Trucker drivers have more chances to get vaccinated this week thanks to TravelCenters of America, which operates TA & Petro truck stops.

TA & Petro is hosting vaccination clinics on Tuesday, June 15 at six locations in Texas, California and Louisiana.

TA spokeswoman Tina Arundel said the company will be hosting vaccination clinics at six locations on Tuesday.

• TA Effingham, Ill., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• TA Amarillo, Texas, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• TA Terrell, Texas, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Petro Shreveport, La., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• TA Wheeler Ridge, Calif., from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• TA Ontario, Calif., from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

All times are local and no appointments are necessary. Arundel said vaccines will be given out while supplies last. All of the vaccination clinics will offer the single shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

Over Memorial Day weekend, the state of Illinois sponsored vaccination clinics at four TA Travel Centers in the state at Troy, Effingham, Mount Vernon and Bloomington. A total of 318 professional drivers, community members and team members were vaccinated, according to a news release from the Westlake, Ohio-based company.

On June 4, the TA in Sparks, Nev., hosted a vaccination clinic with the local Sparks fire department. More than 200 were vaccinated there, according to a news release.

Nationwide vaccination site resources

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says anyone having trouble locating a vaccination site can text their ZIP code to 438829 to receive a text with the closest COVID-19 vaccination location. The website Vaccines.gov also is available.

Truckers having a problem getting a vaccine also can contact OOIDA for assistance at 816-229-5791.

Love’s lifts mask mandate

Also effective Tuesday, June 15, Love’s Travel Stops says it will stop requiring customers and employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear masks.

The Oklahoma City, Okla.-based company said in a news release that the requirement has been in place at Love’s stores across the country since last July. Unvaccinated customers and employees still are being asked to wear masks, in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The company also said that some cities, counties and states are still continuing to require all employees and customers to wear masks, and in those cases the company will abide by those requirements.

As for the other major chains, Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Co. says that it has updated its mask policy to bring it in line with state and local ordinances, including the CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated staff and customers in some locations. Signs are posted at all locations displaying the local masking policies.

Meanwhile, TA & Petro says it is still adhering to state and local orders as well with no immediate plans for changing that. LL

Land Line News Anchor Terry Scruton contributed to this report.