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The Consulate General of Portugal in London sent a team of four people to support on the ground among the “300 to 400 Portuguese drivers” – according to reports from the National Association of Public Transport of Goods by Road (Antram) – who are detained in the border between France and the United Kingdom, due to the blockade imposed for fear of the rapid transmission of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 identified in the United Kingdom. In response to PÚBLICO, a source from the office of the Secretariat of State for Portuguese Communities, Berta Nunes, explained that the team took food and drinks to support the Portuguese drivers arrested.
The team, which is already on the ground, is led by the deputy consul general, José Constantino, and included three more members of the consulate. According to the same source, the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities “has already had the opportunity to speak by phone with the drivers who are at the Manston airport to learn personally about the situation and the problems they face, in view of the support for these nationals ”.
The support provided by the Government comes after some criticism, specifically by the president of the National Association of Public Transport of Goods by Road, Pedro Polónio, who this Wednesday before the PUBLIC complained about the lack of support in the place. “They are left abandoned, without conditions,” lamented Pedro Polónio. “They are surviving alone and with some help that we can provide over the phone, whatever it is. There will be no shortage of money, but money in the middle of the desert is not worth it, and in practice they are in the middle of the desert, ”he said.
For now, the Government says it is not possible indicate when the situation will be resolved. However, the office of the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities states that “the information received from the field points to visible progress in testing and removal” and adds that “there is already knowledge of Portuguese drivers tested and on their way to Eurotunel “.
There is no certainty about the number of Portuguese drivers. “The estimates are those presented by ANTRAM, with whom the Government and consular authorities are in contact on this matter to facilitate the identification and support of national drivers,” replied Berta Nunes’ communication office.
Although the the blockade of France’s border with the United Kingdom has been lifted On Wednesday, the queues on the English side continue to add thousands of truckers, including hundreds of Portuguese who will not be able to spend Christmas at home. Although it was his decision that had the most impact, the French government was not the only one that closed its doors to the UK. Between Sunday and Monday, dozens of countries (including Portugal) have closed their airports to British passengers, for periods ranging from 48 hours (in the case of the Republic of Ireland) to almost three weeks (in the case of Italy). THE The decision affected some Portuguese emigrants residing in the United Kingdom.
