London — Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair an emergency response meeting on Monday to discuss international travel, in particular the flow of freight in and out of Britain as Channel transport was halted, spokesperson for his office said on Sunday.
There is alarm over a rapidly spreading strain of coronavirus that has caused cases to soar there.
The pound slid more than 1% on news of the fast-spreading virus and an official said “significant differences” remain in trade talks with the European Union. The pound fell to $1.3363 early on Monday.
Earlier on Sunday, several European countries began closing their doors to travellers from Britain after the country tightened Covid-19 restrictions in London and southern England to try to curb the spread of a new strain of the coronavirus.
France said it would bar all people coming from the UK for 48 hours from Sunday night, including freight carriers, whether by road, air, sea or rail. Britain's port of Dover said its ferry terminal was closed.
Germany, Italy and the Netherlands ordered a suspension of flights from Britain, while Scotland and Ireland said they would impose restrictions on flights and ferries from their neighbour. Belgium said it would close its borders to flights and trains — including the popular Eurostar service — coming from the UK. Austria is also planning to ban flights from Britain, the APA news agency said. Several countries further afield announced closures to UK traffic.
Italian health minister Roberto Speranza said the Covid-19 variant discovered in London needed to be investigated before movement could resume.
“The prime minister will chair a emergency response meeting ... to discuss the situation regarding international travel, in particular the steady flow of freight into and out of the UK. Further meetings are happening this evening and tomorrow morning to ensure robust plans are in place,” the spokesperson said.
Transport minister Grant Shapps urged Britons, especially hauliers, not to travel to ports in Kent in southern England, warning on Twitter that “we expect significant disruption in the area”.
The travel restrictions come at a difficult time for many British companies, which are engaged in last-minute stockpiling before December 31, when a status quo transition period with the EU Union ends and new customs rules come into effect.
Dover Port CEO Doug Bannister said earlier this month that Europe's biggest trucking port was already seeing almost record volumes of trade.
“The new variant in Britain has added a twist to a battle against the virus that many countries in Europe are waging,” he said.
The number of coronavirus cases in Britain surged by 35,928 on Sunday, the highest daily rise since the start of the pandemic, and it recorded 326 deaths, taking the official toll to more than 67,000.
Reuters
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