Paris, December 23 According to the agreement reached between France and the British authorities, British inbound freight transportation to France resumed on the 23rd, aiming to ensure the logistics operation of food supply and other food between the United Kingdom and France and EU countries.
According to the Franco-British agreement, truck drivers can drive trucks from the United Kingdom to France via ferry or tunnels with a negative test for COVID-19 within 72 hours.
The British side is preparing to carry out large-scale testing of truck drivers entering France from the 23rd.
France and the United Kingdom are also finalizing specific details of virus testing for truck drivers. The British side hopes to carry out a rapid virus test for truck drivers, so that truck drivers can know the test results as soon as possible and trucks can quickly enter France.
The French side has no objection to the implementation of rapid detection, but hopes that the relevant tests can detect mutant viruses.
British Transport Secretary Sharps welcomed the relevant agreement between the United Kingdom and France, but he still called on truck drivers not to go to Kent for now, saying that Britain and France are trying to alleviate the problem of truck stranding.
Preliminary estimates indicate that as many as 4,000 trucks in Britain are waiting to enter France from Kent, England and other places.
After the resumption of freight transportation from the United Kingdom to France, the logistics operation problem between the UK and France and EU countries is expected to be temporarily alleviated to a certain extent.
Due to the traffic between France and the United Kingdom, France’s dairy transportation and seafood supply, as well as food supplies such as fruits and vegetables in Britain, are facing varying degrees of difficulties.
In order to prevent the spread of mutant COVID-19, France suspended the entry of British air, sea, land and air traffic from midnight on the 20th. The traffic ban is effective for all people and goods from the United Kingdom, including road, rail and sea and air transportation.
A large number of trucks have been stranded in Kent, England, for the past two days, waiting for France to reopen its entry channel.
French officials said on the evening of the 22nd that from the 23rd, people in France and EU countries can enter France from the United Kingdom on the basis of negative COVID-19 tests conducted within 72 hours.
For British people, they need a residence permit in France or other EU countries to enter France from the United Kingdom with a negative virus test certificate. The new entry requirements for the United Kingdom will continue until January 6 next year.
