Australia Closing State Borders

maddyone with every respect, but I feel that in your above posts you have not really thought this matter through.

I stated in my pos @11:35 that sixteen to twenty thousand trucks per day cross through the UK channel ports and tunnel in both directions. Therefore a considerable percentage of those drivers would originate from journeys begun in Spain, Italy and Portugal being they are the largest EU member states that export fresh food into Britain.

In the above, if only two or three thousand of that total volume (it is probably much higher) of truck drivers originate from the above EU member states it will undoubtedly be well above the numbers arriving by air, especially at this time.

I would agree that Britain at this time could consider an embargo on all travelling from such Countries as Iran and China but that would still leave all those trucks and Drivers crossing into Britain every day as a large possible source of infection.

It should also be remembered that Italy and Spain have at present the highest infection rates in the world in regard to the Covid-19.

We should have absolutely NO planes arriving from Spain, Italy, or Iran bringing people to Britain from countries with such high infection rates. It’s madness. I have already agreed with you grandad that deliveries need to continue despite any risks. Any risk that can be stopped should be stopped, because that means it’s a lesser number of possible risks in the community.

My daughter is a doctor, a GP. I have said on other threads that she has been told she may have to be ventilator trained and go to work in the hospital on the front line. She is already a key worker, and her husband is in the same profession. They have very young children, six year old twins and a two year old. There is enough risk in this country, especially for key workers, without importing a whole lot more. I would prefer that my grandchildren still have parents at the end of all this, and I think most Gransnetters will feel the same.

Re. Lorry drivers. Perhaps they could do what they used to in Jersey. Put the trailer on the boat and a new driver takes it off in their own cab. That way fewer risks of germs coming in...

Pamela shared a useful article. Other places are closing their borders, except for freight, so should we.
I’m pleased Gagajo managed to get home, she did the responsible thing. We’ve had enough warnings that this was going to happen.

grandMattie absolutely, no reason why not.

In regard to unhitching and hitching trailers on the ferries, with the volume of truck traffic passing through the main channel ports and tunnel changing power units would hugely restrict that volume of traffic by over two thirds of present.

Hitching or unhitching a trailer takes approximately ten to fifteen minutes even when the diver is experienced and familiar with the vehicle and couplings.

Anyone need only imaging the above being carried out on a ferry full of trucks or tunnel train when the trailers can only be approached one or two at a time.

On lesser volume ferries such as Zeebrugge etc on night crossings, changing power units is allowed but must be booked well in advance so as to allow all other vehicles to disembark before hitching operations can begin.

It's put my niece in a bit of a quandary. She's a midwife and, although she works in Brisbane, she was supposed to be going to work in a remote outback hospital for a month but now she's not sure she should go in case she can't get back.