Dover, 英国 Britain was cut off from Europe for a second day Tuesday.
多于 1,500 trucks remained stranded in southeastern England after France closed the border over fears of a potentially more contagious coronavirus variant.
British supermarkets warned of shortages of some goods just days before Christmas, and even if talks between the two nations result in the border being unsealed, the chaos will take days to resolve.
In recent days, 几乎 40 国家 in Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East have restricted travel from the UK, and in some cases also travel from other countries that have documented cases with the variant.
Police patrol along the M20 motorway where freight traffic is parked whilst the port of Dover remains closed on Tuesday.
The French ban, which was imposed Sunday night, is the most significant because it includes restrictions on accompanied freight. The crossing between the English port of Dover and the French city of Calais is a major European trade artery, and the port of Dover handles around 17% of the UK’s goods imports.
Since the border closed, hundreds of lorries trying to cross from the UK into Calais have been stuck in traffic tailbacks. As of Tuesday morning, 关于 873 vehicles were at a disused airport site, with approximately 650 vehicles on the M20 motorway, the UK’s Department for Transport said.
While drivers from Europe are not prohibited from entering the UK, fears are rising that hauliers will resist doing so for fear of not being able to return home, leading to food shortages.
The period leading up to Christmas is traditionally a busy time for trade, as fresh produce from Europe is imported for the festive period. On top of this, the UK is stockpiling ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.
在星期一, Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s leading supermarket chains, said If nothing changes, there will be shortages of lettuce, some salad leaves, cauliflowers, broccoli and citrus fruit.
与此同时, the British government says it is providing food, drink and toilets for British truck drivers currently stuck in gridlock in the area surrounding the Eurotunnel.
A Romanian driver named Adrian, who is stuck at Dover, 告诉CNN: “A lot of people are making their holidays here in the cars … they cannot go home. It’s not good. We are lucky because we are here in Dover, but a lot of people are stuck on the roads. They can’t go to the toilet or have a shower.”
“We do not get respect at all … but if we are stopping, the whole of Europe is going to do nothing. This truck, that truck, they are delivering food … if they stop then nobody’s gonna eat.”
与此同时, the challenges appearing at Dover could be a preview for what might happen on January 1, when the Brexit transition period ends and those barriers to trade go from being temporary to the status quo.
“Supply chains were already under pressure from the upcoming January 1 变化, so adding border closure has left us looking rather vulnerable,” David Henig, UK director of European Centre For International Political Economy, 告诉CNN. “This is also coming at a poor time for global confidence in the UK, given border barriers are about to rise.”
