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Friday, December 25, 2020
Polish soldiers in England
Thousands of truckers are still stuck
For days, numerous truck drivers have been trapped in the English Channel in England. The day before Christmas Eve, France reopens its borders. But only a few make it home in time for the party. Because there are many Poles among the stranded drivers, Warsaw is sending medical personnel and corona tests.
Although France has reopened the border with Great Britain, many truckers also have to spend Christmas Day in the southeast of England in their cabins. So far, hundreds of vehicles have been approved. However, a negative corona test is required to enter France and authorization continues. The British government had initially sent 300 soldiers to Kent County around the Channel Port of Dover to help with the tests. To resolve the huge traffic jam as quickly as possible, 800 more have now been added, the Defense Ministry in London said. However, the backlog of work is expected to take days to clear.
Truckers celebrate under a Christmas tree made from beer cans.
(Photo: Picture Alliance / dpa / PA Wire)
Thousands of truckers had been stranded in England since last Sunday after France completely closed its border due to a new, possibly even more contagious variant of the coronavirus. On Wednesday an agreement was reached between London and Paris. Therefore, truck drivers must undergo a rapid corona test before they are allowed to cross the English Channel by boat or the Eurotunnel, an important logistical task.
British Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced on Thursday that more than 2,300 drivers had already been tested, of which only three tested positive. According to the British news agency PA, 700 trucks had already started to cross the English Channel. The drivers had celebrated this with loud horns.
Poland sends helpers
According to the German ambassador in London, Andreas Michaelis, some German drivers he came into contact with are also caught up in chaos. Others have already started their journey home.
Poland sent an army medical team of 60 to Dover to help test Polish truckers. A first delegation of Polish doctors and nurses had already examined 1,260 truckers on Friday morning, Michal Dworczyk, head of the government’s chancellery, announced on Twitter. In addition, the country provided 15,000 corona tests. Polish Army soldiers also distributed food. According to the Warsaw government, several thousand Polish drivers were trapped in England. “We are determined that all Polish truckers return home,” said Dworczyk.
More than 5,000 trucks remain stuck at the disused Manston Airfield and in a cordoned off section of the M20 motorway, according to PA. Many of the drivers complained of running out of food and water. There are also no bathrooms for many.
