France to reopen border with UK but lorry drivers face Covid tests

France will reopen its borders to passengers from England on Wednesday, as the European Commission called on EU member states to lift travel restrictions imposed in response to the discovery in Britain of a mutant strain of coronavirus.

Thousands of lorry drivers stranded in Kent since France halted freight movements from England on Sunday will be allowed to cross the English Channel if they test negative for coronavirus.

It was not clear on Tuesday night if the lorry drivers would have to provide the result of a lab-based PCR test, as will be required of passengers on flights, ferries and the Eurostar but can take up to three days to process. British authorities hope that France will accept lateral flow tests, which can provide results within an hour but are believed to be less accurate than PCR tests.

“French nationals, residents and those with a legitimate reason to be here must provide a negative test,” French transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said.

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UK transport minister Grant Shapps welcomed the move but warned lorry drivers against entering Kent until the queue of thousands of vehicles begins to clear.

“Good progress today and agreement with the French government on borders,” he said. “We will provide an update on hauliers later this evening, but hauliers must still not travel to Kent this evening.”

New variant

More than 50 countries around the world halted flights from England after the discovery of the mutant variant, which some scientists believe can spread faster than other strains of coronavirus. EU ambassadors were meeting in Brussels on Tuesday evening to consider the European Commission’s call for flight and train bans to be discontinued to ensure essential travel and avoid supply chain disruptions.

"Given the current uncertainties and in light of the precautionary principle, member states should take co-ordinated action to discourage non-essential travel between the UK and the EU," justice commissioner Didier Reynders said.

“At the same time, blanket travel bans should not prevent thousands of EU and UK citizens from returning to their homes. While precautions are needed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus variant, with today’s recommendation we therefore ensure that the restrictions are co-ordinated and provide for the necessary exemptions for citizens and residents returning home and other essential travellers.”

Although British ministers and supermarket chains said there was enough food in storage to ensure no shortages over Christmas, Tesco on Tuesday introduced purchasing limits on some products including eggs, rice, soap and toilet roll, allowing customers to buy up to three of each item.

Sharp rise

Official figures recorded 36,804 new coronavirus cases in Britain on Tuesday and a further 691 deaths, a sharp rise on the previous day. Boris Johnson last Saturday announced that London and southeast England would be subject to Tier 4 restrictions, which are close to lockdown, in response to the spread of the new variant of the virus.

The decision marked an abrupt reversal of the prime minister's position after weeks of resisting calls to cancel a planned loosening of restrictions over Christmas. But home secretary Priti Patel told the BBC that the government had been very proactive in encouraging people to stay at home during the coming days.

“The government has consistently throughout this year been ahead of the curve in terms of proactive measures with regards to coronavirus,” she said.