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More than 4,500 trucks have finally crossed the English Channel today after being forced to spend the holiday period stuck in Kent.
Additional troops were deployed to intensify coronavirus testing and allow them to return, Transportation Minister Grant Shapps said today.
On Sunday, France closed its borders after a new strain of Covid-19 was identified, prompting the government to quickly redesign its Christmas bubble plans.
Shapps said: “More than 4,500 HGV (heavy vehicles) are back on the Canal.
More than 10,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted in an attempt to eliminate the backlog of trucks, authorities said.
Some 1,100 military personnel have been deployed to Kent as part of the repatriation operation, after French Covid-19 restrictions caused severe disruptions to the port of Dover.
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(Image: PA)
France’s requirement that drivers show proof of a negative Covid-19 test before entering the country forced thousands of international carriers to spend Christmas Day in their taxis.
The French closed their border last Sunday following the discovery of a rapidly spreading mutant Covid-19 strain in the UK, before easing restrictions on Wednesday.
More than 3,160 carriers were waiting to cross the Channel on Friday night, despite some progress in driver testing of their vehicles at nearby Manston Airport, on a closed section of the M20 and in the city of Dover.
Some have already spent nearly a week stranded due to the diplomatic stalemate.
(Image: PA)
Shapps said: “The British Army is once again proving why it is world class, ramping up testing and feeding carriers stranded by Covid restrictions, while helping to oversee the operation in Kent.
“But let’s not forget the tireless efforts of the police, civilian evaluators, municipal planners, and ferry and port workers.
“These thousands of people, military and civilian, have given up their Christmas to help drivers who were separated from their loved ones through no fault of their own.”
Army personnel have tested more than 6,200 drivers, while also tasked with distributing food and water, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
French firefighters and the Polish Army Territorial Defense Force were also recruited to help with the tests.
(Image: PA)
Poland has dubbed its operation “Zumbach,” in honor of Polish World War II pilot Jan Zumbach, who fought for the allies in the Battle of Britain, the country’s embassy in the United Kingdom said.
Germany’s ambassador to the UK Andreas Michaelis said some German carriers had managed to get home by Christmas, while others remained in Kent.
He tweeted: “Some of the German truck drivers we have been in contact with are either on their way home or already home. Others are unfortunately still stuck.
“I sincerely hope that things start to move for them soon. This is a difficult Christmas. Our thoughts are with them.”
Various people and organizations have volunteered to help stranded drivers by providing food and drink.
(Image: PA)
Mubashir Ahmad Siddiqi, 60, and his two 20-year-old sons Qasim and Hamza, from Barking in East London, spent six hours helping prepare 1,000 servings of chicken biryani on Friday for those caught in Kent.
Mr. Siddiqi said: “Ten of us from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and the Ahmadiyya Muslim youth association were able to deliver more than 1,000 meals, 1,200 chocolate bars and drinks for truck drivers.”
He added: “It is a great feeling to be able to help those who are alone at this time and we hope that through our humble efforts we will be able to encourage them with the food packages.”
HM Coastguard said its teams in the Dover area had also delivered 3,000 hot meals, 600 pizzas, 2,985 packed lunches and 17 popsicles of water to those waiting.
The Defense Ministry said an additional 800 soldiers were deployed as part of Operation Rose on Friday to support the 300 soldiers already there.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said: “I have every confidence that your hard work and operational experience together with our prominent colleagues at NHS Test and Trace and the Kent Police will see that traffic through the canal will recover quickly. of the unprecedented closure of the border in the week. “
Shapps said he had instructed the army to take control of heavy vehicle testing and management operations in Kent so that “foreign carriers would return home to their families as quickly as possible.”
The government said catering vans would provide food and hot drinks to carriers stranded at Manston, and that Kent County Council and volunteer groups would provide refreshments to those stuck on the M20.
There are over 250 toilets in Manston, with another 32 portable toilets added to the existing facilities on the M20.
About 4,000 vehicles, including 2,000 cargo trucks and 1,000 cars, have been cleared for departure at Dover since the border was reopened, a port spokesman said.
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