Dover (AP) – Although France has reopened the border with Great Britain, numerous truck drivers will also have to spend Christmas Day in south-east England in their cabins.
So far, hundreds of vehicles have been approved. However, a negative corona test is required to enter France, and clearance continues. The British government wants to send 300 soldiers to the county of Kent around the port of Dover on the English Channel to help with the tests. The British government announced on Thursday evening that 3 of the 2367 tests carried out on truck drivers were positive.
“We need to resolve the situation in Kent caused by the French government’s sudden imposition of Covid restrictions as soon as possible,” said Transport Minister Grant Shapps. “Our aim is for foreign drivers to get home to their families as quickly as possible.” The port of Dover announced that ferries will be in use overnight and also on Christmas days.
Because of the rapid spread of the new and possibly particularly contagious Corona variant in Great Britain, France had closed the borders and only reopened them on Wednesday night.
The first drivers who were allowed to get back on the ferries celebrated the progress with loud honking. Usually a ferry can be loaded with 120 trucks. There was also progress on the Eurotunnel. It is estimated that around 3,000 vehicles had left this route by Thursday evening.
But there were still about 5000 vehicles waiting in Kent. The authorities had released the closed Manston Airport a good 30 kilometers from Dover and lanes of the M20 motorway as parking spaces. Some drivers have already spent almost a week in their cab. “I know it is very difficult for a lot of drivers, but I assure them that we will do our best to get them home,” said Minister Shapps.
In the fight against truck chaos, France sent more than 1,000 meals across the English Channel. Great Britain is also very active, said the Minister for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, on Thursday evening via Twitter. “We have to act for the blocked truck drivers,” demanded Prime Minister Jean Castex. “Behind every product that is sold in our country, there is often a logistics chain and our truck drivers,” he wrote on Twitter.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201225-99-809246 / 4
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