DOVER, England (AP) – Trucks slowly passed checkpoints in the English port of Dover and crossed the Channel to the French port of Calais on Thursday after France partially reopened its borders with Great Britain following a scare over a rapidly spreading new virus variant.
Yet, on Christmas Eve, thousands of truck drivers and travelers were trapped in the massive stalemate in the port of Dover, held up by the slow delivery of the coronavirus tests now being demanded by France. One by one, trucks drove towards ferries and trains connecting Britain to France, while authorities checked to see if the drivers had the negative virus tests needed to cross.
On the French side, strong winds whipped the coast before sunrise and the sprawling port of Calais – which normally carries up to 4,000 trucks a day – remained quieter than usual.
A port of Dover spokeswoman said it had “received” “fewer than 100 freight vehicles” due to testing restrictions, and officials warned it could take days to clear the backlog. A British road transport expert estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 trucks could end up in the chaos at Dover, but a minister said it was about 4,000 trucks.
French Ambassador Catherine Colonna said two dozen French firefighters have been sent to Dover, with 10,000 coronavirus tests for drivers desperate to go home for Christmas. UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps said UK and French authorities have agreed to keep the border between the countries open throughout Christmas to help truck drivers and travelers get home.
Dozens of countries around the world began banning people from Britain last weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that large areas of southern England should be severely restricted to a new, more contagious version of the virus in London and southeast of England.
France’s relocation was the most worrying as France is a major channel for trade and travel between Britain and the continent. The UK relies heavily on commercial connections across the Channel to the continent at this time of year for food, especially for fresh fruit and vegetables.
The announcement of the coronavirus variant caused additional concern at a time when Europe is plagued by rising new virus infections and deaths. Europe as a whole has recorded more than 500,000 virus-related deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University census that experts agree is likely to be an under-number due to missed cases and other factors.
In Britain, infection rates have skyrocketed in recent weeks, with many hospitals approaching their capabilities. On Wednesday, the country reported a further 744 deaths and a record 39,237 confirmed new cases. Christmas gatherings and festive shopping were canceled for millions at the last minute in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
London now has the highest percentage of people who test positive in the country, with an estimated 2.1% of people testing positive for COVID-19, according to figures published Thursday by the Office for National Statistics.
France defended its approach to the border situation after the EU transport commissioner expressed unusually strong public criticism.
Commissioner Adina Valean from Romania tweeted: “I regret that France went against our recommendations and returned us to the situation we were in in March when supply chains were disrupted.”
French Minister of European Affairs, Clement Beaune, tweeted back that France “had followed exactly the EU recommendation” and is now “more open than other European countries” to arrivals from Britain.
Some European countries relaxed their travel restrictions on Britain on Wednesday, although many remain. China became the last country to suspend flights to and from the UK on Thursday
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Angela Charlton contributed from Paris.
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