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One in 85 people in England has Covid-19, and more than two percent of London’s population is believed to be infected.
Meanwhile, thousands of stranded truckers were waiting their turn to cross the English Channel, held back by the slow delivery of coronavirus tests.
Aaron Chown / AP
A man performs a Covid-19 test on a conductor at the Port of Dover in Kent, England.
Truckers and travelers stuck in a days-long stalemate in the English port of Dover began heading to France on Friday (New Zealand time) after the country partially reopened its borders with Britain following international concern over a new variant of the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
Trucks made their way slowly toward the ferries and trains linking Britain to France, as authorities verified that drivers could show the negative virus tests now required to cross.
Authorities warned that the delay could take days to clear and that many truckers will likely spend Christmas waiting in their taxis.
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* Covid-19: France allows partial reopening of the border after hundreds of trucks were stranded in England
* Covid-19: UK sees record rise in daily coronavirus cases as new variant spreads
Dozens of countries quickly halted travel from the UK last weekend after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said London and other areas of southern England had to close all non-essential stores and cancel plans to vacation to stop a new, much more contagious version of the virus. .
Frank Augstein / AP
Police are standing next to an electronic notice notifying of coronavirus testing to help clear a backlog of cargo, trucks and passengers outside the Port of Dover.
China has become the latest nation to suspend flights to and from the UK, further isolating the country.
But infection rates continue to rise, particularly in London and surrounding areas. The capital now has the highest rate of people testing positive in the country, according to the latest figures.
Britain’s Office for National Statistics estimated that 2.1 per cent of people in London had Covid-19 in mid-December, compared with around 1.18 per cent, or one in 85 people, for the general population in England. The figures do not include people in hospitals or residences.
Most of the new positive cases confirmed in London were believed to be the coronavirus variant, the statistics office said. For England as a whole, he estimated that about half of all new cases could be the new variant.
Authorities say the new variant is dangerous because it is more transmissible, although they emphasize that there is no evidence that it makes people sicker.
Millions of people canceled Christmas gatherings and holiday shopping at the last minute in an attempt to control the spread of the virus and ensure that hospitals, many of which are near capacity, are not overwhelmed.
Alberto Pezzali / AP
Britain’s cargo and passengers with a negative virus test began arriving on French shores, after France relaxed a two-day lockdown on a new variant of the virus.
In Dover, two dozen French firefighters and British military personnel were working with health officials to screen thousands of truckers, who must return a negative Covid-19 test to cross.
Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps said on Twitter that of the 2,367 virus tests administered at the port as of Friday, only three came back positive.
The Channel Tunnel operators, also known as Eurotunnel or “Chunnel”, said The Associated Press that the buildup is slowly clearing and around 1,200 trucks so far passed through the underwater rail passage from England to France on Friday.
But about 5,000 drivers remained stranded at the Dover ferry crossing, and a spokeswoman for the Port of Dover said about 700 trucks had departed.
Aaron Chown / AP
A man conducts a Covid-19 test on a driver at the Port of Dover in Kent, England, where thousands wait to resume their journey across the English Channel after the borders with France were reopened.
British and French authorities agreed to keep the border between the countries open over Christmas to help truckers and travelers get home.
“Normally, we close on the 25th, but now, given the situation, the port will remain open,” said Jean-Marc Puissesseau, president of the French ports of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer. Additional staff agreed to work the party,
Steve Parsons / PA / AP
Cargo trucks lined up in Manston, after French authorities announced that travel resumption from the UK will be allowed after the coronavirus ban was lifted, but those seeking to travel must have a negative outcome on the test, in Kent, England.
The temporary closure of the border by France generated the greatest concern because France is an important conduit for trade and travel between Britain and the mainland. The UK relies heavily on channel trade links with the mainland for food at this time of year, especially fresh fruits and vegetables.
The announcement of the variant of the coronavirus came as Europe was hit by rising new infections and deaths from viruses.
Europe as a whole has recorded more than 500,000 virus-related deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, which experts agree is likely an undercount due to missing cases and other factors.
In France, officials defended the country’s handling of the border after the EU transport commissioner issued unusually strong criticism.
Commissioner Adina Valean from Romania tweeted: “I am sorry that France has gone against our recommendations and has returned us to the situation we were in in March when supply chains were disrupted.”
French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune tweeted that France had “exactly followed the EU’s recommendation” and is now “more open than other European countries” to arrivals from Britain.
Angela Charlton contributed to this report from Paris.
