Hauliers arriving in England to be tested for coronavirus

Some hauliers arriving into England from outside the UK will be tested for Covid-19 from April 6. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA

Hauliers travelling to England from outside the UK for visits lasting more than two days will be tested for coronavirus, the UK Transport Secretary has announced.

Grant Shapps said that from April 6 hauliers, including drivers and crew of heavy goods vehicles and vans, will need to be tested within 48 hours of arriving and then every three days.

Announcing the news on Twitter on Sunday, he said: “This is to ensure we keep track of any future #Coronavirus Variants of Concern.”

UpdatedUK Government guidelines say hauliers face a £2,000 (€2,332) fine if they do not have proof of a negative Covid-19 test.

Those travelling from Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man – known as the Common Travel Area (CTA) – are not required to be tested unless they have been outside those areas in the 10 days before arriving in England.

There has been growing concern over the spread of South African and Brazilian variants of coronavirus in Europe as a third wave of Covid-19 sweeps across the continent.

Responding to the UK Government’s plans to test hauliers, Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said there were “significant gaps in the plan”.

She questioned why the rules will not be enforced until April 6, saying: “This is nearly two weeks after I raised it with the Prime Minister and he resisted.”

She said it is also nearly two months since concerns were first raised about the spread of the South Africa variant in France in mid-February, and more than three months since testing was introduced for hauliers leaving the UK.

Yvette Cooper (Parliament TV/PA)

“The Government still isn’t learning Covid lessons about the importance of acting fast. Delays risk lives,” she added.

Trade association Logistics UK said any testing regime must be proportionate as drivers are “a very low-risk category”.