Covid-19: First trucks start leaving Kent lorry park after France reopens UK border - BBC News

The first trucks have started leaving a temporary lorry park in Kent after France reopened its border with the UK.

Some 3,800 lorries have been stuck at Manston airfield after France closed its UK border on Sunday amid concern over a fast-spreading virus variant.

On Wednesday, France ended its ban on UK arrivals on condition of a negative coronavirus test.

But drivers have been clashing with police at the port of Dover as they wait for tests and a negative result.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned there were "severe delays" and urged people to avoid travelling to Kent.

Around 50 countries imposed a ban after the UK warned of a new, fast-spreading variant of coronavirus.

The French government's ban, introduced on Sunday, has now been eased to allow French citizens, British nationals living in France and hauliers to travel - if they test negative less than 72 hours before departure.

Soldiers have joined NHS Test and Trace staff in Kent to carry out rapid tests on thousands of stranded lorry drivers.

But Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said it could take "a few days" to clear the backlog.

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A number of drivers clashed with police this morning, with officers trying to push back a small crowd trying to enter the Port of Dover.

Kent Police said one man is in custody after being arrested for obstructing a highway in Dover and there have been disturbances at Manston Airport, where a lorry-holding facility run by the Department for Transport is now full.

The entrance to the Port of Dover is currently closed with a line of police officers blocking it, BBC reporter Amanda Akass said.

They told her they will not start allowing vehicles through until "protesters" - several dozen drivers - move from the roundabout at the entrance.

But the drivers have said they will not move as they do not want to go to the back of the queue and cannot move as the road is blocked in both directions.

"We are very tired. We're staying in cars, we don't have a lot of food, no money," one driver told the BBC.

"Police three days ago told us that testing will start soon, but they don't know when and that's why people are protesting," another said.

"We just want to do the test and just go straight home."

Rod McKenzie of the Road Haulage Association described the situation as "chaos" as lorry drivers headed to ports thinking the borders would be open.

"They're tired, frustrated, desperately wanting to get home for Christmas," he said.

He said the information given to them has been "extremely poor", while food provision, toilets and washing facilities were "inadequate".

Richard Lloyd, director of a British firm that imports farm machinery from Poland, said he had been called by the family of a driver who was stuck without food, asking whether he could get a loaf of bread to the lorry.

"He didn't want to go anywhere because of the security of the truck, and obviously a place in the queue, so it was a desperate situation," Mr Lloyd said.

Analysis

By Simon Jones, BBC reporter at the scene

Frustrated lorry drivers have confronted the police as tensions over their continuing confinement threatened to boil over.

Some hauliers marched out of the Manston lorry park, where they've been forced to sleep in their cabs, demanding to know when they'll be allowed to go home.

There's a huge backlog of traffic to clear. Some hauliers said they'd been told the testing on the site was initially delayed because the tests got held up in traffic.

Manston is now full - so there'll be some pressure on the authorities to get as many tests done as quickly as possible to clear space for any new arrivals.

Germany's Lufthansa airline is airlifting fresh fruit and vegetables to the UK on Wednesday as firms seek to beat the lorry chaos at sea ports.

We are sending a @BoeingAirplanes B777 Freighter to Doncaster Sheffield @DSA_Airport. On board: 80 tons of fruits and vegetables. @Lufthansa_Cargo is currently examining whether additional special cargo flights can be offered during the next days. Watch #LH8352 on @flightradar24 pic.twitter.com/mpvCQA7Mgz

— Lufthansa News (@lufthansaNews) December 23, 2020

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

The British Retail Consortium also warned there may be shortages of some fresh goods until the backlog is cleared.

The Road Haulage Association said: "Even if the border is opened up, a short delay in the process is going to mean huge delays in the supply chain."

Normally, about 10,000 lorries a day travel between Dover and Calais at Christmas, largely bringing in the freshest produce.

More than 5,000 lorries are being held in Kent, according to the Department for Transport.

Officials have been going from lorry to lorry to provide tests.

Home Secretary Priti Patel urged hauliers "not to travel to Kent as we work to alleviate congestion" as "travelling now will slow things down".

"Tourist travellers who are not French residents should not travel," she tweeted.

The Port of Dover also urged passengers not to turn up without a negative coronavirus test.

Eurotunnel said around 150 passenger vehicles had crossed the Channel overnight, carrying people who had had negative tests.

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• New variant could be circulating outside UK

Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it is likely to take "a few days" to clear the backlog of lorries that have built up.

He said there would be "multiple testing sites" at Manston Airport and elsewhere.

Rapid "lateral flow" tests will be used, which can detect the new variant and work like a pregnancy test to give a result in about 30 minutes.

Freight drivers will receive their test result by text, and a negative result gives them the right to cross the Channel.

If they test positive they will be offered Covid-secure hotel accommodation nearby where they will have to self isolate.

Testing will also take place on the French side for hauliers entering the UK.

More than 50 other countries, including Germany, Italy, India and Pakistan, are continuing to block travellers from the UK.

The Netherlands and Belgium have also now lifted their ban, but will only accept people if they have a recent negative result.

The Netherlands has demanded UK arrivals use so-called PCR tests, which can take over 24 hours to turn around as they require a lab.

The European Commission has urged other EU member states to lift travel bans affecting the UK - but said non-essential travel should be discouraged.

It comes as:

• A "gold command" meeting of ministers and officials considers extending tier four curbs to more parts of England - with changes coming as early as Boxing Day. Sources say places immediately surrounding current tier four areas, largely in southern England, could soon be placed under the toughest restrictions
• A further 17 areas in England - from Lincolnshire to Bristol - will receive access to rapid mass community testing in the coming weeks to help slow the spread of the virus
• Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says "I'm kicking myself" after a photograph shows her breaking Covid rules

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On Tuesday, a further 36,804 people in the UK tested positive for coronavirus and there were 691 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to government figures.

It was the largest daily number of cases recorded yet, though it is thought the infection rate was higher during the first peak in spring when testing was much more limited.

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2020-12-23 16:06:00Z
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Coronavirus UK: R rate is UP again to a possible 1.3, SAGE warns - Daily Mail

Britain's coronavirus R rate is UP to 1.5 in London, 1.3 across the UK and RISING in all southern regions as super-infectious variant sweeps across the country

• New variant hotspots London and the East of England have the fastest growing outbreaks, experts warn
• R rate is stable in Midlands, North East and North West, with large parts in Tier 3 since October 
• London and most of South East are now in Tier 4, and lockdown is expected to expand later today
• It comes as a new, more infectious variant is becoming the dominant strain in South and spreading UK-wide

By Sam Blanchard Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 13:52 GMT, 23 December 2020 | Updated: 15:04 GMT, 23 December 2020

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The coronavirus R rate in Britain has risen to between 1.1 and 1.3 and it is at least one or higher in every region of England except the North East and North West.

Government advisers on SAGE today estimated the outbreak is spreading fastest in London and the East of England, where the R could be as high as a shocking 1.5.

R is a number used to show how many people each person who catches the coronavirus infects before they recover. It must be at one or lower to make sure the outbreak is shrinking.

This week marks the third week in a row that the figure has risen since the national lockdown brought it down to 1.0 in November. 

SAGE, which is headed up by chief scientist Sir Patrick Vallance, said: 'All NHS England regions have R estimates that are above or span 1, suggesting the epidemic is growing in much of the country, with London, the South East, and the East of England clearly above 1.'

The estimates, which take into account data up to December 18 so don't include any effects of the Tier Four rules in London and the South East, come as a new, more infectious strain of the coronavirus is fast becoming dominant in the South.

The variant, now known as B.1.1.7, has spread like wildfire across the capital and home counties and is thought to be on track to become the main version of coronavirus circulating in the UK.

Professor Neil Ferguson, a prolific epidemiologist and Government adviser dubbed 'Professor Lockdown', today said it appeared to have triggered 'explosive outbreaks' in schools in London.

Concerns about the fast-spreading version of the virus, and surging infection rates - yesterday saw the most cases announced of any day in the epidemic so far - are expected to leave swathes of the country in Tier Four total lockdown rules from Boxing Day, with toughers measures potentially on the cards for Surrey, Essex, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk and Hampshire.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will hold a press conference this afternoon after ministers and scientists met this morning to discuss whether changes need to be made to the tiering system before the planned December 30 review.

West Sussex and the parts of East Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire not already in the top tier could be included as early as Boxing Day.

Also under consideration are Burnley in Lancashire, where the infection rate currently sits at 438 per 100,000 people, and Lincoln and Boston in Lincolnshire, which both have rates in excess of 400.

By contrast, Gosport in Hampshire, which is already under Tier 4 measures, has 159 cases per 100,000 and the Chiltern area of Buckinghamshire has 202. 

The R rate figure is highest in the East of England and in London, with a possible value of between 1.2 and 1.5. This means that every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 15 further people.

The R value in England as a whole is 1.1 to 1.4, and it's lowest in the North East and Yorkshire, and in the North West, where it is between 0.9 and 1.1. 

There have been 'explosive' coronavirus outbreaks in London's schools in recent weeks, 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson revealed today

The northern regions are the only places where SAGE thinks the R might be lower than one and that the outbreaks there might be shrinking.

In the South West, which has been one of the least affected parts of the country throughout the year, it is thought to be between 1.0 and 1.2. 

HOW HAS THE R RATE CHANGED FROM LAST WEEK?

AREA

UK

England

--

East

London

Midlands

NE and Yorks

North West

South East

South West

THIS WEEK 

1.1 - 1.2 

1.1 - 1.4 

 

1.2 - 1.5 

1.2 - 1.5 

1.0 - 1.2 

0.9 - 1.1 

0.9 - 1.1 

1.2 - 1.4 

1.0 - 1.2 

LAST WEEK 

0.9 - 1.0 

1.1 - 1.3 

 

1.2 - 1.4 

1.1 - 1.3 

1.0 - 1.2 

0.9 - 1.1 

0.9 - 1.1 

1.1 - 1.3 

0.9 - 1.2 

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SAGE's R estimate lags by around two to three weeks due to the way it collects data on Covid deaths and hospitalisation rates, so its estimates today do not reflect the current picture of the UK's epidemic. 

Infection rates have started to double every week now, which means the true R rate could be worse than today's report says.

Last night the Department of Health revealed another 36,804 people caught the virus in the 24 hours to Tuesday, up from the 18,405 the week before.  

It comes as Professor Ferguson warned there have been 'explosive' coronavirus outbreaks in schools in London and the South East in recent weeks, amid fears the mutant strain of the virus plaguing the capital and the commuter belt makes children more susceptible to Covid-19 infection.

Professor Ferguson –  who quit SAGE after he was caught breaking social distancing rules to meet his married lover during Britain's first lockdown – said there had been 'anecdotal reports' of 'more explosive' clusters in schools since November.

The Imperial College London epidemiologist, who still sits on the SAGE sub-groups NERVTAG and SPI-M, said it added to a growing body of data showing the new variant is making up an unusually large proportion of cases in children. 

Children were very unlikely to get infected by previous strains of Covid – which was unusual because lots of viral infections like flu transmit more easily in youngsters –and it was extremely rare for someone under the age of 16 to develop symptoms 

However, Professor Ferguson said the changes in the new variant may make children 'more like adults' in terms of how easy it is for the virus to infect and spread between them. 

The scientist also warned the strain – believed to be up to 70 per cent more infectious than normal Covid – will already be circulating 'in the vast majority, if not all' European countries, despite only a handful confirming cases.

Experts say the variant was only spotted thanks to Britain's world-leading genetic sequencing capabilities and would have likely been missed if it emerged in other nations.

The UK was made a continental pariah this week as EU countries shut their borders to British travellers in a bid to contain the spread of the variant. 

Professor Ferguson told the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee today: 'There are anecdotal reports that the last few weeks have seen more explosive school outbreaks in London and the South East of England, but they are just anecdotes at the moment.

But he added: 'You see a statistically significant increased proportion of cases in under-15-year-olds for the variant compared to the non variant.

'Beyond that we know nothing. There could be a number of hypotheses why that might be the case.

'One of them is that maybe… children are more susceptible to this variant.

'For previous strains of this virus we know children were less likely to get infected and certainly less likely to get symptoms than adults - which is unusual for a respiratory virus.

'One possibility is this virus has changed in some way which doesn't particularly target children, just makes children more like adults a little bit. Either in terms of symptoms or viral replication or transmission, or both.

'But again this is very early days. We have very little direct biological, never mind experimental, evidence that that's the case.

'At the moment we have an observation that there's a slight shift in the age distribution which would be consistent with any of those hypotheses.

'But I would emphasise - while it is a significant shift, it's not a huge shift. It's relatively small.'

Professor Neil Ferguson told MPS the new strain of is 'everywhere now' in the UK, but said he anticipated the impact of new Tier 4 restrictions and revised strict measures over Christmas elsewhere would have a beneficial impact on the UK's crisis.

He said: 'Schools are now shut, we are in a near-lockdown situation across the country. Contact rates are lower over Christmas.

'I expect, though I hesitate to make any sort of predictions, we will see a flattening of the curve in the next two weeks. We will see at least a slowing of growth.

'The critical question is what happens in January and the extent we want to make public health measures more uniform across the country if the new variant is everywhere.'

Professor Ferguson first suggested the new strain was more infectious to children than the older version on Tuesday.

But members of COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) today said they are 'not familiar' with any data to suggest this might be the case.

COG-UK has examined the genetics of more than 160,000 cases of coronavirus in the UK and is constantly watching how the virus evolves to see whether any of the mutations are important, as this one named VUI-202012/1 has become. 

They said there had not yet been enough cases of the new variant recorded and that more data is needed to make any comments on how it affects specific groups. 

Professor Ferguson claims  the number of cases of the new variant in under-15s is significantly higher than other strains, although he has admitted there is not enough evidence yet to prove the theory. 

Scientists have suggested that children might be more susceptible to the new variant of the virus because it is better able to latch onto people's ACE-2 receptors that the virus uses to get into the body.

It is not clear whether this is an effect specific to children, or just a by-product of the fact that this variant may be more infectious for people of all ages.

Fears that it could spread more readily between children are cause for concern because social distancing efforts are harder to enforce on young people.

Schools could face closure in the new year if the variant can't be brought under control and is being discovered in children.

Public Health England said it was doing more research to work out how the variant affects children.

Meanwhile, Professor Ferguson told the Commons committee today that it was likely that the strain was already circulating in every European country.

He said the fact Denmark, which also has a robust genomics sequencing programme, had picked up on 10 cases signalled that other more populous EU countries likely already had cases that were being missed.

He added: 'It would suggest, almost certainly in my view, that this virus [strain] has been introduced to the great majority, if not all, of European countries at the current time.'

There is still not much known about the new variant of the virus, which was brought to public attention for the first time last week.

Cases of it appeared to have exploded in the UK in mid-November and it is now on course to become the country's dominant strain.

Experts say examples of it have been found in all corners of England, as well as in Scotland and Wales, and that it is quickly replacing other versions of the virus.

This is thought to be because it has evolved to be more catching - Boris Johnson claimed it may be up to 70 per cent more infectious in a dramatic press conference at the weekend - although it may still be because it was in the right place at the right time.

Experts say it will be a couple more weeks before enough data has emerged to make any conclusions about the effects of the new variant of the virus.

Because most of the people infected with it caught the virus in November, they are not yet out of the time frame of possible severe Covid-19 or death.

It usually takes around four weeks for someone to either completely recover or die after they've caught the virus, COG said.

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2020-12-23 13:52:00Z
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COVID-19: UK's R number rises slightly to between 1.1 and 1.3 - Sky News

The R number in the UK is estimated to have gone up to between 1.1 and 1.3, according to the SAGE group of government advisers.

The growth rate range of COVID-19 is estimated to be between +1% to +6%.

The figure is highest in the East of England and in London, with an R value of 1.2 to 1.5. This means that every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 15 further people.

The R value in England as a whole is 1.1-1.4, and is lowest in the North East and Yorkshire, and in the North West (0.9-11).

Last week, the UK figure was put at between 1.1 and 1.2 with a growth rate of between 1% and 4%.

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When England emerged from November's lockdown the number was 0.8 -1 - the lowest since August.

More from Covid-19

The reproduction number (R) is the average number of secondary infections produced by a single infected person.

An R number of 1 means that on average every person who is infected will infect 1 other person, meaning the total number of infections is stable.

If R is 2, on average, each infected person infects two more people. If R is 0.5 then on average for each 2 infected people, there will be only 1 new infection.

Image: When England emerged from November's lockdown the R number was 0.8 -1

The news comes on the day the government warned more parts of England could wake up in Tier 4 from Boxing Day - as fears grow over the spread of the new VUI-202012/01 mutation of coronavirus.

When the prime minister announced his Tier 4 restrictions, he warned the new variant alone could increase the R value by more than 0.4.

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2020-12-23 13:41:15Z
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Covid-19: More areas of England could be moved to tier 4 restrictions - BBC News

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Ministers are deciding whether more areas of England should be placed under the toughest coronavirus restrictions in a bid to contain the spread of a new variant of Covid-19.

Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick said No 10 would make a judgement on whether the current rules were strong enough.

He said there was no immediate plan to widen curbs on Boxing Day but "the number of cases is rising".

The UK's chief scientific adviser has said extra curbs could be needed.

Sir Patrick Vallance told a Downing Street briefing on Monday that measures could "need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced".

The latest restrictions - which placed London and large parts of south-east England under new tier four rules- were due to be reviewed on 30 December.

However, the Covid operations committee, chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are meeting to discuss the tiered system.

Mr Jenrick said they were "trying to retain the robust tiered system" which takes a "proportionate approach" across the country, but said it had been designed before the new variant became apparent.

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He said the new variant - which could be up to 70% more transmissible than previous strains - was now present in other areas of the country, albeit to a "lesser extent" than in London, south-east and the east of England.

He said: "The variant is spreading to other parts of the country, so we will see whether it's necessary to do more and make sure that the tiered system is sufficiently robust for the new circumstances.

"The tiered system was designed before we knew the full ferocity of the new variant, and so we do have to make sure it's sufficiently robust to be able to withstand this and to stop cases just rising at the very worrying levels they are now in parts of the country."

Prof Neil Ferguson, whose scientific modelling led to the March lockdown, said the new variant is "everywhere now" but said he anticipated that tier four restrictions and stricter rules over Christmas elsewhere could have a beneficial impact.

He told the Commons Science and Technology Committee: "Schools are now shut, we are in a near-lockdown situation across the country. Contact rates are lower over Christmas.

"I expect, though I hesitate to make any sort of predictions, we will see a flattening of the curve in the next two weeks. We will see at least a slowing of growth.

"The critical question is what happens in January and the extent we want to make public health measures more uniform across the country if the new variant is everywhere."

On Tuesday, a further 36,804 people in the UK tested positive for the virus and there were 691 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to government figures.

It is the largest daily number of cases recorded yet, though it is thought the infection rate was higher during the first peak in spring when testing was much more limited.

• SOCIAL DISTANCING: Can I give my friends a hug?
• FACE MASKS: When do I need to wear one?
• TESTING: How do I get a virus test?
• SYMPTOMS: What are they and how to guard against them?

Mr Jenrick said decisions from the committee would be communicated "as soon as we can" and that there was "absolutely no plan" at the moment to change restrictions before Christmas Day.

He added the PM had been "very clear" that even outside of tier four, there was a "strong degree of personal judgment to be exercised here".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's still up to people to come to a conclusion as to how many members of their family or other households they want to bring together on Christmas Day.

"The strong advice is to keep it small, to keep it short and therefore to be safe."

Millions of people across the UK saw their festive plans severely restricted or scrapped, when No 10 abandoned a planned five-day relaxation of the rules for Christmas after scientists said the new Covid variant was spreading more rapidly.

Under the revised Christmas rules for England, only people living in tiers one to three are permitted to socialise in a bubble of three households on 25 December.

Those in tier four areas must only celebrate Christmas with members of their own household and support bubble. They will not be allowed to travel to other tiers to see family and friends.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has written to Mr Johnson to say his party will back any government moves to tighten restrictions if that is what scientists recommend.

On Wednesday, Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth urged the prime minister to act before it's too late.

He told BBC Breakfast: "What we're saying to Boris Johnson is, last time you received advice from the scientists for tougher restrictions, you sat on it, you dithered, you delayed."

He urged the PM not to "sit on the advice this time", adding "we know delaying has devastating consequences.

"If you're advised to take tougher action, take it, do it, act with speed, don't be behind the curve again."

The Labour leader of Crawley Borough Council, which is currently in tier two but bordering tier four areas, has said the area would be hit hard by a potential tightening of restrictions, and accused the government of failing to provide support.

Cllr Peter Lamb told BBC News that Crawley "might" be placed in a higher tier, adding that case numbers there "would suggest that if it's not going in now, it will be going in at some point in the near future".

He said there had been "no coming back" for Crawley - which includes Gatwick airport - since the March lockdown, and it was "still waiting" for the government to "give us some support to get through this", adding that more businesses would be impacted if the area was placed under the toughest measures.

• A PROMISED LAND: Barack Obama reads from his new and compelling presidential memoir
• GROUNDED WITH LOUIS THEROUX: Rylan Clark-Neal reveals how one of Louis’s documentaries ignited his teenage sexuality

In other key developments:

• Mr Jenrick also said it could take "a few days" to clear a backlog of lorry drivers who need a negative Covid test result to travel from Kent to France. Rail, air and sea services between the UK and France resumed this morning after France eased its travel ban, with the pound pushing higher on Wednesday morning
• Scotland's First Minister has apologised for breaching Covid-19 rules by taking her face mask off at a wake. The Scottish Sun had published a photograph of Nicola Sturgeon standing talking to three people at a social distance, but with her face uncovered

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2020-12-23 13:40:00Z
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