Dover is closed to outbound traffic

LauraNorder

If we had reason to close our borders we would repatriate our nationals ASAP and meanwhile ensure they were fed. We have been shown to do this many times, eg planes provided for stranded holidaymakers throughout the world when covid kicked off.
This variant and others are already in mainland Europe. The lorries could be allowed to cross the channels and undergo testing and quarantine in their home country. This would be less chaotic all round.

I’m sure the EU could fly their citizens home but I’m not sure what would happen to the lorries

Nezumi65

lemongrove

Since it’s the French Government who have caused this debacle....let them sort it out.

I think they’re dealing with the ones queueing in Calais - they already had large queues because of Brexit stockpiling

Nez says there are whitewave ?

Let's imagine Merlot, that there is a mutant virus in France, that is spreading very fast- and we had some drivers who have spent some days there- would you recommend that they were allowed back in the UK where the said mutant virus is non existent- so those drivers could be home for Christmas, just in time to infect their families before they go back to school and work?

Or do you think it might make more sense to get testing organised, and proper quarantining, away from families for those testing positive?

If we had reason to close our borders we would repatriate our nationals ASAP and meanwhile ensure they were fed. We have been shown to do this many times, eg planes provided for stranded holidaymakers throughout the world when covid kicked off.
This variant and others are already in mainland Europe. The lorries could be allowed to cross the channels and undergo testing and quarantine in their home country. This would be less chaotic all round.

lemongrove

Well, I do hope they are offering the British drivers hot meals
Nez and sparkling loo facilities .....

Gawd! there isn’t a queue in Calais.

biba70

even Boris thought about that, hence the different status for different regions.

Exactly

even Boris thought about that, hence the different status for different regions.

And tbh closing borders until you find out whether that horse has bolted is sensible.

Sequencing is super fast these days - they’ll soon have a better idea of the spread - until then, safety first.

merlotgran

^Sovereignty and putting your citizens first- no?^

By closing the border so they can't get home?

no, to stop the spread of a mutant virus by a few lorry drivers to a whole population. Irrespective of nationality, and Sovereignty - that is the responsible thing to do and medically the only thing to do.

Well, I do hope they are offering the British drivers hot meals
Nez and sparkling loo facilities .....

The Spanish flu is still called that even though it didn’t originate there. So the British strain no doubt has mutated elsewhere but ha s been identified as rampant in the U.k. first, so that label will stick.

LauraNorder

It is not xenophobic to place blame where it’s due.

Blame?

And if the French had a new mutant virus you would be welcoming people back fro. France with no checks?

Are you really surprised- or say it is irrelevant? All this dreadful mess and 1 week to go.

Oh yes, we need to 'believe and trust, and be positive and ...' it might have sounded sort of plausible 1 year ago- but now, it is just plain nonsense.

lemongrove

Since it’s the French Government who have caused this debacle....let them sort it out.

I think they’re dealing with the ones queueing in Calais - they already had large queues because of Brexit stockpiling

vegansrock

Of course Brexit is all going so swimmingly it’s not worthy of comment.

It will be upon us soon enough.

It is xenophobic to blame whole nationalities.

Sovereignty and putting your citizens first- no?

By closing the border so they can't get home?

Exactly Callistemon

Of course Brexit is all going so swimmingly it’s not worthy of comment.

It is not xenophobic to place blame where it’s due.

.... and back to Brexit again?

The new variant has been identified in other countries. However, our scientists are well ahead in the sequencing and research.

Why is the UK variant getting so much attention?
That doesn’t necessarily that the UK variant is the only new strain in circulation, and the reason the UK was one of the first countries to find a variant of note first is down to the vast amount of research being done on the virus here.
Sharon Peacock, director of COG-UK and a professor of public health and microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said: “We’ve sequenced 150,000 genomes which is about half the world’s data, so if you’re going to find something anywhere you’re going to find it probably here first.

“If this occurs in places that don’t have any sequencing you’re not going to find it at all.”

What that means, is that there could be – and almost certainly are – many more variants of coronavirus dotted all over the globe, they just haven’t been found yet.

Incidentally Northern Ireland is imposing 10 days self isolation on those travelling from the mainland (which will affect one of my kids when returning to Belfast)

lemongrove

Since it’s the French Government who have caused this debacle....let them sort it out.

And in a fortnight?

Another xenophobic thread. It’s all the fault of Macron eh? What about the 40 other countries who have imposed a travel ban? Yes we should provide facilities for stranded drivers of whatever nationality. There are Brits stranded abroad at the moment and the British ( government) aren’t remotely interested.