The British army announced Friday that it had deployed more than 1,000 soldiers to test for Covid-19 the thousands of truckers stranded around the English port of Dover due to a new, potentially more contagious strain of the new coronavirus.
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After 48 hours of total closure, France has since Wednesday morning allowed the return of drivers stuck on the British side, on condition of presenting a negative Covid test.
Thousands of them were still waiting Friday to be tested to be able to return home, some parked on the runway of an old airport, others directly on the highway.
"We are deploying 800 additional staff members to support the increase in screening capabilities to absorb the accumulated vehicles," the Defense Ministry announced on Twitter, adding that they are in addition to 300 soldiers already on site.
We are deploying a further 800 personnel to Kent today to support an increase in the testing capabilities to help clear the backlog of vehicles and ensure traffic can begin to move at a closer to normal pace through Dover.
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- Ministry of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) December 25, 2020
"Although significant progress has been made, with hundreds of vehicles having left the UK, more screening is needed as new vehicles continue to arrive every hour," the source added.
26 firefighters sent by France
The soldiers will also participate in the distribution of water and food for the stranded drivers, some since Sunday.
France sent a team of 26 firefighters to help with the screening, more than 1,000 meals and volunteers from the Red Cross.
To allow a faster return to normal, the United Kingdom and France have agreed to exceptionally maintain cross-Channel, sea and rail traffic on Christmas Day.
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According to British authorities, 2,364 truckers had been tested by midday on Thursday, three of which tested positive.
This crisis has put a stop to the supply chain in the United Kingdom, which is very dependent on cross-Channel traffic, raising fears of shortages of certain fresh products for lack of a rapid return to normal.