France halts UK food and drink imports due to super-infectious coronavirus strain Britain is heading towards international isolation as several Member States impose travel restrictions on UK travellers and France suspends freight traffic across the Channel.
A new, highly contagious strain of coronavirus in the UK is sparking fear across Europe.
Concentrated in London, South East- and the East of England, the new strain is thought to be 71% more transmissible than other variants.
When the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) met on 18 December, they noted the new strain could be responsible for an increase in the R-value (the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, on average) from 0.39 to 0.93.
Christmas food supply facing serious disruption after UK travel ban
Closures at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel have led to fears the UK could be hit by food shortages as the country s supply faces serious disruption ahead of the festive period
09:47, 21 DEC 2020
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Covid-19: PM hopes for fast border solution, as countries close doors on UK
Published
1. UK and France hope for fast border solution
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he and French President Emmanuel Macron hope to ease the flow of trade between the two nations in the next few hours , after France shut its borders to UK hauliers for 48 hours due to the new coronavirus variant. The variant, which is thought to transmit at a faster rate, is being blamed for a surge in UK cases - and has caused concern among other nations. But, speaking at Downing Street on Monday evening, the PM said a solution would be found as fast as possible . It comes after more than 40 countries banned arrivals from the UK due to the new strain. Mr Johnson also revealed 500,000 people in the UK had received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. He added the UK could look forward to a very different world from Easter . You can learn more about when you will be in line for the vaccine here.
December 21 , 2020
France s decision to temporarily block all freight including trucks from the U.K. in response to the emergence of a new and more infectious strain of Covid-19 could have a severe effect on Britain s fresh food supply.
The French government said on Sunday that all passenger and human-handled freight transport from the UK to France would be suspended for 48 hours from 11pm GMT.
As the World Health Organization called on European members to step up measures, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday announced the suspension of air links – and in some cases rail and ferry routes – from Britain.
Boris blusters his way through pointless press conference without giving a single answer about when truckers will be allowed into France: Port chaos could continue until Xmas after Macron insists on Covid tests or no travel
Port of Dover in Kent was dramatically closed to all freight vehicles leaving the UK for the next 48 hours
Hauliers coming to UK will still be allowed but there are fears drivers won t travel to avoid being marooned
Countries including France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Poland have announced restrictions on UK travel
Comes after emergence of mutant strain of coronavirus in England which spreads quicker than predecessor