Dover is closed to outbound traffic

EllanVannin

I don't blame France or any other EU country that's been snubbed. I knew it would happen and it serves us right. How anyone can shun those that supported us through wars I don't understand. Is this all the thanks they get ?
The main aim is to remain friendly surely ?

Those that supported us through the wars, hmmmm.

Sweetchile; I am very concerned for the lorry drivers and their families. The lorry drivers and RHA have been warning about this potential problem since 2016 and have been patronised, dismissed and disregarded and if I was you, I too would be very angry. I also understand that apart from all the paperwork not being ready as promised, that something like 60,000 people drive lorries for a living in the UK and there are only 8000 permits.

It's for 48 hours while they sort out a solution - such as testing of drivers, which is something that should have been happening anyway.

Can anyone remember how long the French farmers blockades of the ports and roads lasted? Google mentions 2015. It came up in conversation and we couldn't remember how long it went on for.

Of course there were fewer goods crossings five years ago and no preparation for it either, just curious.

Sweetchile my husband is a lorry driver, luckily he’s only driving in the uk this week - phew. Christmas without my daughter and my husband would have been disastrous

I don't blame France or any other EU country that's been snubbed. I knew it would happen and it serves us right. How anyone can shun those that supported us through wars I don't understand. Is this all the thanks they get ?
The main aim is to remain friendly surely ?

Have to admit to changing my plans and shopping this morning to avoid any shortages. I only bought what I needed and as I live in veg growing Lincolnshire will pick up fresh veg from the farm shop nearer to the weekend.

While you're all selfishly wondering how you're going to live without a lettuce for Christmas . . What about the lorry drivers????
Think how you would feel stuck in a lorry no toilet facilities no food or water unable to keep warm as you could run out of fuel.

Well, covid has exacerbated the Dover problems, but sadly, those of us who predicted this have been told to get over it/be positive/have faith in our government/stop being unpatriotic, and generally ganged up against and criticised. Why on earth do you think our government built the Farage Garages in Kent? A few splutterings from Brexiteers on FB who are astonished to discover that France, Holland, Belgium and other EU countries are able to close their borders and exercise their sovereignty.

Jayt

This looks like a blockade on cynical political grounds. We can’t agree on a post Brexit trade arrangement so they won’t let our lorries in. I doubt COVID has much to do with it

And Russia, India, Canada? No doubt more by now.

growstuff is spot on. France is just the latest of many countries closing their borders to us - and the mutated virus. We'd do the same if it were spreading so rapidly in another country.

UK flights to many countries are stopped as well:

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-russia-and-india-joins-growing-list-of-countries-to-ban-travel-from-uk-over-mutated-strain-fears-12169044

Can’t help thinking there is a bit of Brexit malice there...

This looks like a blockade on cynical political grounds. We can’t agree on a post Brexit trade arrangement so they won’t let our lorries in. I doubt COVID has much to do with it

Is it known whether the virus mutation happened in the UK or came in from elsewhere?

Just had a report from a friend that the local Morrisons is jam packed solid.

If Sainsbury's looks to be the same, we're turning round and coming home again. We really only need milk today...

It seems that the penny has finally dropped. We have very little push back from posters denying reality and claiming project fear.

Be nice to welcome them back into the reality fold?

I went to our big Tesco this morning and it was very busy, but no more than usual for the week before Christmas.
I thought it was very interesting that last week's reading from the old testament was Joseph's advice to Pharoah, interpreting his dreams, was when there's a time of plenty plan ahead. ie store away provisions for the hard times ahead.
Good times don't last forever, nor bad times.

What a pity the UK was not closed to inbound traffic back in February.

Now that we have become the threat, other countries (very sensibly) are doing to us what we should have done to them at the start!

ALANaV

In the US there was a faction known as The Preparers ...people who had built underground storage for the canned and paper goods ....in case of a nuclear war ................maybe we should do that after all, Brexit is coming .......COVID is here ......the perfect storm !....meanwhile, keep calm and carry on....getting like BoJo now ...slogans and no common sense ...........ah well, c'est la vie ..............the Navy will fit trawl nets to their patrol vessels perhaps .............

Bit late, aren't you, ALANaV:?

People have been prepping fro Brexit for ages, some since the 2019 threat of 'no deal'.

I'm rather relieved that I have my little stash..

Off to Sainsbury's later to see if the NE is panic buying or staying calm

vegansrock

Why does it matter where it “started”? The fact is, it’s spreading fast here and other countries want to minimise the risk.

Exactly.

I find it fascinating that we can look back and see how it spread across the world - but we can also learn from that. As I said earlier there were multiple introductions into the U.K. from Italy at the beginning of the year (fewer from elsewhere) so it does make sense to shut borders - we should have.

SARS meanwhile largely spread across the world from one person vomiting in a lift iirc (I need to go and check that now as I read it about 6 months ago when they were first tracking strains).

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

In the US there was a faction known as The Preparers ...people who had built underground storage for the canned and paper goods ....in case of a nuclear war ................maybe we should do that after all, Brexit is coming .......COVID is here ......the perfect storm !....meanwhile, keep calm and carry on....getting like BoJo now ...slogans and no common sense ...........ah well, c'est la vie ..............the Navy will fit trawl nets to their patrol vessels perhaps .............

Why does it matter where it “started”? The fact is, it’s spreading fast here and other countries want to minimise the risk.

MawBe

Why only outwards from the U.K.?
Is it not possible that the variant has spread in the OPPOSITE direction by trans-European lorry drivers coming into the U.K.?
Presumably they have comfort breaks once on this side and that would explain why it appears to have originated in Kent. .

That's exactly what I was thinking, as soon as they said that it had started in the South-East.

Have we heard anything at all about a 'mutant strain of Covid' on the European-side of The Channel .................... or has that been kept 'under wraps'?

My neighbour here in SW London went to Waitrose at 7 am and said it was rammed. We were supposed to go to Cornwall and my OH went on ahead last week as he has an essential dentist appointment there this morning. I'm not now joining him as I don't want to be "that" person who thinks they're entitled to break the rules. I hope he can get back here tomorrow as he's bought all the food!

Did my store cupboard and freezer items with perishables such as bread, which can also be frozen last weekend.Should see me well into the new year.Hopefully any panic buying will be over.