The EU calls for the lifting of transport bans and there would be a solution on Tuesday

Truckers honk their horns in protest day and night in Dover. Desperate neighbors cannot sleep and leave their homes to beg or insult them. Eastern European drivers and the Turks have monumental clashes with the guards, who try to divert them to an old abandoned airport for parking. The cargo, in particular live crustaceans such as lobsters and oysters, it rots in containers and billions of euros are at stake. The closure of the border between Great Britain and France, by unexpected decision of the French government due to the coronavirus, is the closest thing to a pandemonium.

The European Union decided on Tuesday afternoon to try to stop this chaos. And he asked the 12 European countries that have canceled flights to Britain to restart them to enable essential travel and minimize business disruption.

The European Commission said in a statement that it was “important to take temporary precautionary measures quickly” to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“Bans on flights and trains must be suspended given the need to ensure essential travel and avoid disruptions in the supply chain, ”he said.

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders added that “general travel bans should not prevent thousands of European and British citizens from returning home” as Christmas approaches.

Edge test

An agreement to unblock travel with France after a closure for the new variant of the coronavirus could come later this Tuesday. The British military would carry out anti-Covid tests on all drivers so that they can cross the border. Results would be between 24 and 48 hours at least if no immediate testing is done.

But nothing is known about the preparations for those who test positive and need to be quarantined. The truth is, many of the 1,500 truckers who hope to spend Christmas in the parking lot or on the road, if they’re lucky, but not at home. The atmosphere is explosive.

The European Union has recommended the reactivation of trains and planes to Great Britain to evacuate those stranded by the decision. But you don’t want to harbor the idea that you can travel to the kingdom if you’re not essential or stranded workers.

At least 6,000 tests per day

The UK test facility for truckers is said to be located at the disused Manston Airport, 20 miles north of Dover, which opened to park heavy vehicles yesterday. This would likely involve the use of rapid “lateral flow” tests, which can provide results in about 15 minutes. Availability is not yet confirmed.

The government is concerned about the time it would take to put such a system in place. With potentially 6000 drivers per day that need to be examined, the system might display A headache logistic.

More than 1,500 carriers are lining up on the M20 or are parked at Manston Airport in Kent, following France’s decision to detain anyone entering the UK for 48 hours due to a new variant of the coronavirus.

“French borders closed” announces a flashing sign hanging on the road. But that does not prevent those who were already on the road with their cargo sand group in Kent, the area most contaminated by the new variant of the virus, looking for an immediate exit from the country.

The French border post is closed at the entrance to the ferry terminal at the Port of Dover in Kent, in the south-east of England.

More than 40 countries They canceled flights to Britain because of the Covid mutation. France has gone further than most countries and has banned the passage of trucks through the Channel.

The UK government maintains that it only includes 20% of the country’s total cargo and that there will be no stockouts. The crisis surprised the British in the midst of Brexit negotiations.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron, confined for having coronavirus, held an emergency telephone summit on Monday and Macron demanded the tests as a prerequisite. Boris insisted that the drivers get into their trucks without contact with anyone. He did not convince the French head of state.

Fear of shortages

“¡The lettuce!” was the rallying cry of British consumers. Faced with the wave of trucks and the following Christmas, they robbed supermarkets in a “panic shopping”. Despite calls for calm from the government, ensure that there is no shortage of fresh produce on the festive table.

Food supply chains have been affected across the UK. Sainsbury’s warned yesterday that some fresh produce could be sold “in the next few days”. They included salad leaves, cauliflower, broccoli, and citrus.

Ian Wright, executive director of the Food and Beverage Federation, said so shoppers “don’t have to worry about food supplies over Christmas.” The consequences could be felt soon after.

“Impacts on the local availability on the shelves of certain fresh foods seem likely from next week,” he warned. “Millions of pounds of trucks are damaged,” he said. “For the most part, the insurance will not cover these losses, which must be compensated,” he insisted.

He urged the government “to act quickly in the face of the serious situation and the effect it may have on imports.”

Christmas in the cabin?

Truckers have braced themselves in the fields, on the streets, on the back roads and on the motorway in Kent and Dover to endure a long wait. Almost certain Christmas in the truck and sleep in his cabin.

They ate breakfast on the road, violated all UK regulations, parked twice, disrupted life in a peaceful area, where silence is sacred and respected. Turkish drivers cooked by the side of the road, to the horror of the British.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urged those attempting to cross the canal to avoid the area.

“Please, do not travel to kentbecause you won’t be able to cross and you might get stuck longer. “

Consensual European solution

The French Foreign Ministry said the 48-hour ban was “an emergency measure, allowing us to provide a practical solution and to exchange views with our European partners”. France hopes that a solution will be “formalized during the day”, in coordination with Europe.

No one expects fluidity in UK ports at least until Christmas, despite the military testing starting today or tomorrow the chaos will continue.

The prospects are threatened by a British decision: it could put the whole country in absolute “lock-out” in the face of the rise of the new mutant virus and must resolve the problem as soon as possible.

The French embassy in London said there could be a “safe reopening” of the border on Tuesday, as part of a European response to the crisis. Boris Johnson insisted on Monday that the “only” carriers were a low risk group and they should be exempt from a wider travel ban imposed to contain the virus.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government “is working on a resolution” as talks continue with France on Tuesday.

“We are working on a resolution. I think it’s very important to put this in context. It’s in both of our interests, both countries, to make sure we have a flow. Of course, there are European carriers right now who want to return home. Frankly, we are both interested in continuing these discussions and negotiations, and we will. inside Prety Patel at Sky News.

Johnson was accused on Monday of trying to play down the crisis, saying only 174 trucks they were queuing up at M20. Over 1,500 trucks are waiting to cross and keep coming.

A logistical drama

Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, explained that “the borders really need to operate fairly freely from tomorrow to ensure there won’t be any disruption. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today, he admitted that “there is a problem potentially directly after Christmas. It’s really in the fresh produce. We are talking here about salads, vegetables, fresh fruit, the vast majority of which currently come from Europe, ”he said.

“The problem is the empty trucks. Now they’re stuck in Kent.” They have to return to places like Spain to pick up the next shipment of raspberries and strawberries and have to return the next day or two. Otherwise, we will see interruptions, ”he admitted.

Highways England admitted Monday evening that the blackout could last “several days”.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow labor minister at the Cabinet Office, said ministers should stop “wavering” and take action to deal with “chaos”.

Paris, correspondent

ap