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The British have been told to continue shopping as normal, despite France prohibiting carriers from crossing the English Channel over fears surrounding a new strain of coronavirus.
At a press conference in Downing Street, Boris Johnson said the “vast majority” of food and medical supplies are not affected by the measure.
“It is vital to first emphasize that these delays, which are only occurring in Dover, only affect cargo handled by humans, and that is only 20% of the total arriving or leaving the European continent,” he said.
And in a message to the public after fears of a possible shortage arose, the prime minister added: “These delays only apply to a very small percentage of food entering the UK and, as British supermarkets have said, their chains supply lines are strong and solid. ” , so everyone can continue to shop normally, “Johnson said.
The prime minister said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron and that both sides are working to “unblock the flow of trade as quickly as possible.”
And while he said that the government “fully understands” the “anxieties” of European countries about COVID-19 and the new variant, Johnson said at the press conference: “It is also true that we believe that the risks of transmission by a driver lonely sitting alone in the cabin are really very low.
“So we hope to move forward as quickly as possible.”
Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps, speaking alongside Johnson, urged people not to travel to Kent with the closing of the French border.
And he said the truck drivers were “out of the way” and “as a result we haven’t seen any problems in the area.”
Shapps added: “Most of the trucks that are there are mainly European carriers looking to transit back to the continent.”
He said the mobile barrier on the M20 will be deployed as part of Operation Brock to allow traffic to flow in both directions.
The prime minister said the government had “activated our long-prepared plans” to deal with the Brexit disruption in the county and had been able to reduce the number of trucks waiting on the M20 from 500 to 170.
Watch our special show tonight, as a panel of experts joins Isabel Webster to answer your questions about the new strain of the virus, the COVID Christmas rules and the new Level 4 measures.
The COVID Christmas Crisis questions and answers are at 6.30 pm
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