LONDON, December 21 – Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair an emergency response meeting today to discuss international travel, in particular the flow of goods into and out of Britain, a spokesman for the his office yesterday.
Earlier yesterday, several European countries began closing their doors to British travelers after the country tightened Covid’s restrictions in London and the south of England to try to prevent the spread of a new type. the coronavirus.
France said it would ban everyone coming from the UK for 48 hours from last night, including freight carriers, whether by road, air, sea or rail. The British port of Dover said its ferry building had been closed.
“The Prime Minister will chair a COBR (emergency response) meeting tomorrow to discuss the situation regarding international travel, in particular the steady movement of goods into and out of the UK. Further meetings are taking place tonight and tomorrow morning to ensure that strong plans are in place, ”said the spokesperson.
Transport Minister Grant Shapps has urged Britons, especially carriers, not to travel to ports in Kent in the south of England, warning on Twitter that “we expect there is a lot of unrest in the area. ”
The travel restrictions come at a difficult time for many British companies, which are engaged in last-minute stock collection before 31 December, when the EU’s status quo transition period and new customs rules come to an end coming to fruition.
Doug Bannister, chief executive at the port of Dover, told Reuters earlier this month that Europe’s largest truck port was already seeing almost higher levels of trade.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Britain rose 35,928 yesterday, official data showed, the highest daily increase since the outbreak began.
There were also 326 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, lower than the 534 recorded Saturday.
The government has tightened tensions in London and the south east of England to try to stop the spread of a new strain of the rapidly spreading virus. – Reuters