London, 21st December: France has blocked arrivals of UK passengers for over concerns about the new strain of coronavirus pandemic.
Baaghi TV: According to reports, the government and trade groups have warned of serious disruption after France blocked arrivals of UK passengers for 48 hours over concerns about the new coronavirus variant.
UK ministers will discuss the move at a Cobra emergency committee on Monday.
Kent Police have mobilised Operation Stack, a system to park lorries on the M20 motorway in Kent at times of disruption, to deal with the build-up of traffic.
The Port of Dover tweeted on Sunday night that its ferry terminal was “closed to all accompanied traffic leaving the UK until further notice due to border restrictions in France.”
The Port of Dover ferry terminal is now closed to all accompanied traffic leaving the UK until further notice. Operation Stack phase 2 has now been implemented.
— Port of Dover Travel (@PoD_travelnews) December 20, 2020
Eurostar passenger trains from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam were also halted.
The block on freight traffic into France came as a number of European countries banned flights and other travel from the UK over fears about a mutation of the coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in the UK.
On Saturday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that a fast-moving new variant of the virus that is 70 per cent more transmissible than existing strains appeared to be driving the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England in recent weeks.
We are sacrificing our chance to see loved ones this Christmas, so we have a better chance of protecting their lives so we can see them at future Christmases. (3/3)
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 19, 2020
However, on Sunday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock added to the alarm when he said, “the new variant is out of control.”
Tough times call for tough decisions.
This is difficult to do, and difficult for us all.
But it’s what’s necessary in these most challenging winter days. https://t.co/276fBjokvQ
— Robert Courts KC FRAeS (@robertcourts) December 20, 2020
The UK recorded 35,928 confirmed cases which is around double the number from a week ago.
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