Important Information for Transport Companies Travelling to FRANCE – NEW TESTING
The French authorities have announced a change of policy from the 18th of January with regards to COVID-19 tests required for passenger arrivals into France. The Department for Transport (DfT) Has confirmed that current rules for professional drivers remain unchanged. The official advice from DfT is:
The lorry driver will present, before leaving UK territory, the result of a negative lateral flow or PCR COVID test on the basis of the list of types of tests agreed between the French and UK authorities, carried out in the United Kingdom and less than 72 hours before embarkation.
As a Transport Company, if you are sending drivers into France we strongly encouraged you to arrange for your drivers to have a test before the vehicle arrives in Kent. if you need assistance with location of test sites for hauliers please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/haulier-advice-site-locations
For those companies wanting to set up their own COVID-19 testing facilities for drivers bound for France, The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is ready to support any business.
This does require some preparation and the acceptance of requirements on matters such as data sharing and risk. However, DHSC is ready to provide lateral flow testing kits entirely free of charge and to support work to establish testing facilities via webinars and Q&A sessions. Testing facilities could be established at a haulage business’s premises or at those of their customers.
We can supply you with some summary documentation on what the establishment of such a facility involves. For further details, including forms to order testing kits, please contact us or CV19DfTTaskforce@dft.gov.uk in the first instance.
Please contact 01529 675021 or email melanie@arcbrokerservices.co.uk
