This is an unexpected consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic just a few days ago.
Thousands of truck drivers found themselves stranded for Christmas in and around the English port of Dover.
The reason for this blockage is a set of measures taken by many countries to limit movements from the United Kingdom due to the detection of a variant of Covid-19 across the Channel.
A protocol has been put in place for traffic to resume under certain conditions, but, in the case of Dover truckers, the PCR tests, which have become mandatory, are slow to be put in place.
VIDEO. Roads stranded in UK: anger rages despite the resumption of traffic
Apart from sometimes a miniature tree hanging in their cabin, few things remind the thousands of truck drivers stranded far from their families of Christmas.
On the runway of a former airport in the south of England, they are waiting, parked, to be tested before returning home.
“It's impossible,” sighs Pawel, a 34-year-old Polish driver who is one of the lucky ones to have been tested, interviewed by AFP.
“I don't have the words to describe how we feel.
All our families are waiting for us, it breaks our hearts.
»Tested, he intends to reach Folkestone, where the terminal allowing to take the Channel tunnel and« return to Poland »is located.
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In addition to the sides of the M20 motorway, the trucks found themselves on the track of the old Manston airport, forming impressive queues which give the scale of the task to be accomplished in order to be able to test all the drivers.
Because if France authorized the traffic to resume Wednesday morning, it requires a negative test, requiring days of work to control the positive or negative status of Covid-19, despite the mobilization of the army and a team of firefighters French during the Christmas holidays.
Dover (UK), Thursday.
French firefighters carry out a Covid-19 test on a driver.
AFP / Justin Tallis
According to Pawel, the drivers are furious with France.
On his return journey, he does not intend to stop there, "neither to eat, nor to refuel, nor for anything else".
"90% of people here will not stop in France", he thunders.
For the drivers, on the track swept by a cold wind, the wait is almost without lighting and without certainty on the moment when they will be able to return, despite the assurances of the French and British authorities that the traffic continues in an exceptional way this December 25th.
More and more exasperated, at one point they all honked together for half an hour.
On the neighboring port of Dover, some of them had heated discussions with the police.
Dover (UK), Thursday.
Heavy goods vehicles are waiting for boarding to cross the Channel.
Reuters / Simon Dawson
Vans came to bring them free food, burgers or Thai food.
Associations have mobilized to provide them with hot meals, particularly within the Polish community.
Portable toilets were installed, but according to some drivers, they were quickly full.
“We have been stuck for three days,” breathes Valéri, a 37-year-old Ukrainian driver, still not tested.
“They parked us there and told us to wait.
We have to go home now.
Maybe we will arrive in time for the New Year, ”he hopes.
“There are no facilities, no showers, nothing,” he laments.
According to other drivers, showers have been installed but you have to walk a long time to reach them on this huge track.
Reassembled, Radko Ivanov takes part in the soldiers present, asking to be tested.
He accuses the van drivers of walking past heavy goods vehicles.
“The situation is terrible,” protests the 56-year-old Bulgarian, who denounces the lack of organization.
"You have to manage to guess what to do".
A soldier seeks to appease him and assures him that he will be the next to be tested.