France will reopen borders to UK as long as people test negative first
France has announced it will reopen its borders to UK travellers and hauliers as long as they test negative for Covid-19 beforehand.
Planes, boats and the Eurostar will resume their services on Wednesday morning, French transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari has tweeted.
He added: ‘French nationals, residents and those with a legitimate reason to be here must provide a negative test.’
Anyone arriving in France from tomorrow must have tested negative in the last 72 hours using only a PCR test, not a faster lateral flow kit.
Despite the breakthrough decision after days of chaos, it will unlikely help much to ease the congestion in Kent as thousands of lorries remain backed up unable to use the Channel crossing.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urged lorry drivers not to head to Kent in the hope of boarding a ferry or train.
Mr Shapps said: ‘Good progress today and agreement with the French Government on borders.
‘We will provide an update on hauliers later this evening, but hauliers must still NOT travel to Kent this evening.’
It comes after France abruptly announced a temporary ban on hauliers taking freight across the Channel on Sunday night, amid fears over the fast-spreading mutant strain of coronavirus.
The backlog at the Channel has raised fears about the supply of food imported from Europe and exports heading to France.
Earlier on Tuesday, Home Secretary Priti Patel said more than 1,500 lorries were queuing at Dover to cross into France.
But industry experts fear there are about 4,000 food and drink lorries held up by the ban which has caused gridlock at the port.
An industry agency said for some exporters, pre-Christmas sales have already been ruined.
Chief executive at Scotland Food and Drink, James Withers, said it will be mission impossible to get stock to European markets by Wednesday.
He said: ‘For some of our shellfish exporters, the pre-Christmas sales have now been ruined. It looks like mission impossible to get products to the big markets in Spain which are held tomorrow.
‘That is an irrecoverable loss of income and I fear about this being a fatal blow to some of the smaller businesses after the horrendous year they have already had.’
Lorry drivers stranded at Dover were heard chanting ‘open the port’ this evening, as many face a third night sleeping in their vehicles.
Freight unable to make the crossing to France have been told to go to Manston Airport, near Ramsgate, which is now being used as a lorry park as part of the Brexit contingency plan ‘Operation Fennel’.
According to a driver, hundreds have been left without water and the only toilet in the park has been blocked.
Truck driver Laszlo Baliga, 51, from London, spent Tuesday delivering food and water to those lined up in the disused airfield.
Mr Baliga said he and friends have so far spent more than £500 on food and water, after stranded Hungarian drivers posted on Facebook asking for help.
He said: ‘This is our third time, we have got ready-to-eat sausages, bread, tomatoes, lettuce, coffee. Basic foods for now for the drivers.
‘When we see Hungarian drivers coming in we say stop, and the drivers take things in to the other side to give to everybody.’
Officials defended the provision of facilities for drivers caught up in the chaos in Kent.
A joint Government/Kent Resilience Forum statement said: ‘Food, toilets and water are available for hauliers along the M20 and at Manston, with more food trucks expected to arrive at Manston shortly.
‘There are more than adequate health and welfare provisions available, with nearly 150 toilets and urinals at Manston and portable toilets every 1km on the M20 between junctions 10a and 11. Seventy additional toilets will arrive at Manston tomorrow morning.’
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