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France will reopen its borders to passengers from England on Wednesday, as the European Commission called on EU member states to lift travel restrictions imposed in response to Britain’s discovery of a mutant strain of coronavirus.
Thousands of truck drivers stranded in Kent since France halted cargo movements from England on Sunday will be able to cross the English Channel if they test negative for the coronavirus.
It was unclear Tuesday night whether truck drivers would have to provide the result of a laboratory PCR test, as will be required of passengers on flights, ferries and the Eurostar, but processing can take up to three days. . British authorities expect France to accept lateral flow tests, which can provide results in an hour, but are believed to be less accurate than PCR tests.
“French citizens, residents and those with a legitimate reason to be here must provide negative proof,” said French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari.
UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps welcomed the move but warned truck drivers not to enter Kent until the queue of thousands of vehicles begins to clear.
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“Good progress today and agreement with the French government on borders,” he said. “We will provide an update on carriers later tonight, but carriers are not yet to travel to Kent tonight.”
New variant
More than 50 countries around the world halted flights from England after the discovery of the mutant variant, which some scientists believe may spread faster than other strains of coronavirus. EU ambassadors met in Brussels on Tuesday night to consider the European Commission’s request to suspend flight and train bans to ensure essential travel and avoid supply chain disruptions.
“Given the current uncertainties and in light of the precautionary principle, member states should take coordinated measures to discourage non-essential travel between the UK and the EU,” said Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders.
“At the same time, blanket travel bans should not prevent thousands of EU and UK citizens from returning home. While precautions are needed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus variant, with today’s recommendation, therefore, we ensure that the restrictions are coordinated and provide the necessary waivers for citizens and residents returning home and others. essential travelers. “
Although British ministers and supermarket chains said there was enough food in storage to ensure there is no shortage over Christmas, Tesco on Tuesday introduced purchase limits on some products, including eggs, rice, soap and toilet paper, allowing customers buy up to three of each item.
Drastic increase
Official figures recorded 36,804 new coronavirus cases in Britain on Tuesday and another 691 deaths, a sharp increase the day before. Boris Johnson announced last Saturday that London and south-east England would be subject to Level 4 restrictions, which are close to lockdown, in response to the spread of the new variant of the virus.
The decision marked an abrupt change in the prime minister’s position after weeks of resisting calls to cancel a planned easing of restrictions for Christmas. But Home Secretary Priti Patel told the BBC that the government had been very proactive in encouraging people to stay home for the next few days.
“The government has been consistently ahead of the curve throughout this year in terms of proactive measures regarding the coronavirus,” he said.
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