[ad_1]
Vehicle traffic to France was halted on Monday at the port of Dover, in the southeast of England, because freight traffic on the French side is not being accepted due to the rapid spread of a new version of the coronavirus that has appeared in Britain.
According to a statement from the Dover Port Authority on Monday morning, neither passengers nor trucks will be allowed to leave Britain from the ferry terminals until further notice. This applies to vehicles that would be used by people (drivers, travel staff, passengers) to cross France. The crossing of trains without passengers and passengers is still authorized by the French authorities.
When crossing freight traffic, it is common for only trailers to be transported on ferries, and these trains wait on the opposite bank from the semi-trailers of local transport companies. According to Monday’s announcement from the Dover Port Authority, the restriction imposed on the French side is expected to last up to 48 hours.
According to MTI, traffic from France to the UK is not affected by the measure.
Dover and Calais, opposite, are the two busiest international seaports in the world; During the peak Christmas loading period, an average of 10,000 trucks pass between the two docks a day.
Ian Wright, executive director of the British Food and Drink Federation (FDF), said in a statement Monday that the suspension of freight traffic crossing between Dover and Calais could cause a serious disruption to fresh food supplies and exports. British food and drink before Christmas. According to Wright, there is a risk that truck drivers traveling from the mainland to a destination in the UK may also be unwilling to cross if they have to fear that they will not be able to return. The head of the FDF asked the British government to urge France to lift the restriction as a matter of urgency.
The British Retail Federation (BRC) has asked the British government to do the same. However, the organization said the restriction would not cause an immediate shortage of goods in the UK as retailers had already filled their warehouses as Christmas approached.
Due to the spread of the new coronavirus variant in England, several European countries (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, the Baltic States), as well as Turkey, Israel, Kuwait , Canada and El Salvador. It has also announced a longer or shorter suspension of direct flights from Great Britain. The Netherlands also does not accept ferries from Great Britain.
Eurotunnel, the operator of a rail tunnel under the English Channel, closed its terminal at Folkestone in southeastern England on Sunday night from traffic to Calais, although it is still possible to cross the railroad from Great Britain to Great Britain.
Boris johnson The British Prime Minister announced at a press conference on Saturday night that the infectivity of the new variant of the coronavirus, which is spreading mainly in London and south-east England, could exceed up to 70 percent of previously identified variants, according to previous studies.
However, experts also emphasize that there is no indication that the new coronavirus mutation is more likely to cause more serious disease than previous versions, nor is there any indication that vaccines developed so far are less effective against the new variant.
[ad_2]
