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COVID-19: FRENCH AGREE TO EASE VIRUS TRAVEL BAN

Published22 December 2020
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Media caption,
1,500 lorries stuck in Kent as France remains closed

France is starting to let traffic from the UK back in after the nations reached
agreement over their shared border, closed amid concerns over a new coronavirus
variant.

Freight drivers and some passengers, including EU citizens, will be among those
allowed to return - if they have a recent negative test for the virus.

Some 2,850 lorries have been stuck in Kent since the border shut on Sunday.

NHS Test and Trace staff and the military will be deployed for testing.

Planes, boats and Eurostar trains are due to resume on Wednesday morning.

Under the agreement between the two countries, admittance to France will be
granted to those travelling for urgent reasons, including hauliers, French
citizens, and British citizens with French residency.



But in order to travel, they will need to have received a negative test result
less than 72 hours before departure.

 * 'We are tired, we are disappointed, we are scared'
 * Life on the road for truckers amid ports chaos
 * New variant could be circulating outside UK

Rapid lateral flow tests, which can detect the new strain and give a result in
about 30 minutes, will be used rather than the 24 hours required for so-called
PCR tests.

The drivers will receive the result by text message, and this message would give
them the right to cross the Channel.

A "protocol is still being finalised" to work out what to do with those drivers
who test positive, a government source told the BBC.

In an interview with broadcasters, Mr Shapps said enough tests had been sent to
Kent to test all those who wanted to return by Christmas, but suggested it could
take until Christmas for congestion to be relieved near ports.

Mr Shapps warned hauliers against travelling to Kent until further notice to
alleviate congestion at ports.



He said: "I am pleased that we have made this important progress with our French
counterparts this evening. This protocol will see the French border reopen to
those travelling for urgent reasons, provided they have a certified negative
Covid test.

"We continue to urge hauliers not to travel to Kent until further notice as we
work to alleviate congestion at ports."

The arrangement agreed with the French government will be reviewed on the 31
December, but could run until 6 January, the Department for Transport said.

The French government will also carry out sample testing on incoming freight to
the UK.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
A Romanian driver rests inside his lorry at Ashford International railway
station truck stop

The announcement comes after the EU Commission urged member states to drop their
travel bans to avoid supply chain disruption.

More than 50 countries have banned UK arrivals following widespread concern
about the spread of the new variant.



No lorries have been leaving the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel to France.

Kent County Council leader Roger Gough told the BBC on Tuesday afternoon that
2,220 vehicles were at the temporary lorry park at Manston, while 632 were still
being held on the M20.

It comes as Tesco said it would be reintroducing temporary purchasing limits on
some essential products, including toilet rolls, eggs, rice and hand wash.

The British Retail Consortium warned that trucks needed to be able to start
travelling again in the next 24 hours to "avoid seeing problems on our shelves".

Andrew Opie, its director of food and sustainability, told the Commons business,
energy and industrial strategy committee: "What we've been told by members is
that unless those trucks can start travelling again and go back to Spain and
Portugal and other parts of Europe, we will have problems with fresh produce
from 27 December."

The Channel is a vital trade route, with about 10,000 lorries a day travelling
between Dover and Calais at Christmas, largely bringing in the freshest produce.

A further 36,804 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus and there
were 691 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to Tuesday's
government figures.

It is the largest daily number of cases recorded yet, though it is thought the
infection rate was higher during the first peak in spring when testing was much
more limited.



Meanwhile, truck drivers stranded in Kent have called for immediate help from
the government, with hundreds facing a third night sleeping in their cabs.

Truck driver Laszlo Baliga, 51, from London, spent Tuesday delivering food and
water to those lined up at Manston Airport, a disused airfield.

He began taking supplies after Hungarian drivers stranded in the lorry park
posted on Facebook asking for help, with one telling him the only toilet on the
site had been blocked.

He said he and friends had so far spent more than £500 on food and water for
drivers at the site.

Mr Baliga said: "We have got ready-to-eat sausages, bread, tomatoes, lettuce,
coffee. Basic foods for now for the drivers.

"We like to help because this is a difficult time."

Ronald Schroeder, 52, from Hamburg in Germany, said: "I am now staying in a
hotel, but in front of the hotel there are thousands of people without any rooms
waiting to come over the Channel crossing.

"I feel a little bit like Robinson Crusoe on an island."

The government defended the facilities for stranded drivers, saying there were
"more than adequate health and welfare provisions available".

In other developments:

 * The company behind the Covid-19 vaccine being given to people in the UK says
   it is "highly likely" it will protect people against the new variant of the
   virus
 * The number of excess deaths in the UK since the start of the pandemic has
   passed 81,000
 * Army soldiers have been drafted in to drive ambulances in Wales


 * SOCIAL DISTANCING: Can I give my friends a hug?
 * FACE MASKS: When do I need to wear one?
 * TESTING: How do I get a virus test?
 * SYMPTOMS: What are they and how to guard against them?



 * A PROMISED LAND: Barack Obama reads from his new and compelling presidential
   memoir
 * GROUNDED WITH LOUIS THEROUX: Rylan Clark-Neal reveals how one of Louis’s
   documentaries ignited his teenage sexuality




Are you a lorry driver? Have you been affected by the restrictions? Share your
experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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MORE ON THIS STORY

 * Almost 3,000 lorries in Kent as UK talks to France
   
   22 December 2020
   

 * Travel to resume at Port of Dover as borders reopen
   
   21 December 2020
   

 * Tighter Covid rules likely, top adviser warns
   
   21 December 2020
   

 * More than 40 countries ban UK arrivals over Covid
   
   21 December 2020
   

 * EU urges its members to lift UK travel bans
   
   22 December 2020
   

 * Truckers' tales: On the road amid border gridlock
   
   22 December 2020
   


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