Why are the UK responsible for the stuck lorry drivers?

[Gleps]

This might be a really silly question and I might be missing something obvious but I’d like to understand why the uk are responsible for all of the European lorry drivers who are stuck at Dover?

When this all started, it was down to us to get all the Brits living in places like Wuhan home. So why when the situation is reversed is it now our responsibility again?

@laudemio - why is it Macron's fault? It's not anyone's fault.

I've been pondering this.

I wondered why they didn't insist on isolation and tests after returning rather than stacking up tens of thousands of EU drivers in a car park over Christmas.

I wondered if it was a test of our back up plans for no deal? And I've been no conspiracy theorist through any of this!

I think the media narrative needs to make it clearer we are dealing with situation but it isn't of our creation.

Where we live all returnees must take a test on arrival. We have not involved the British government in this decision, or asked they test prior to leaving the UK.

France should’ve done the same.

@Motorina

I think we should be responsible for emergency humanitarian support (as I would expect any country to be for those distressed within their borders) but not for repatriation. However, these people are mostly perfectly capable of repatriating themselves, the minute the border is open.

It is emphatically in our best interests to get that border open, because I'd quite like a slice of lemon in my G&T on New Years Eve. What is not in our best interests is to let the chaos rumble on. It's also not in our best interests for Romania to send mercy-flights (as we did to Wuhan) to scoop up the drivers and take them home, leaving their lorries clogging up Kent roundabouts behind them.

It's also not that uncommon for the channel ports to close (winter storms, usually). Frankly, we should have a much better park-and-wait facility for lorry drivers caught up in disruption, regardless of cause. That's in our best interests, too, because it stops Dover becoming a giant outdoor latrine. It also happens to be the decent thing to do.

Agree with this. Horrible for the drivers to have no proper facilities, and a huge health hazard to have so many people forced into using the roadsides as a latrine.

Because we are decent, humane, human beings! I'm in Kent and am very grateful to the local people, particularly the Sikh community, for providing food and water to those stranded read Kent on line and you'll see what the residents of Marsdon and Ashford are doing. Isn't this supposed to be the season of goodwill?

Macron might have caused this issue but absolutely indefensible that we weren’t prepared for a similar scenario with significant disruption expected....next week. Absolutely it should be our responsibility to provide safe places to wait, toilets and food.

Aaaanddd we have a deal...should have put my bet on. The drivers will now gradually return home, ferries will be running tomorrow as well. So far only 3 out of over 2k tested positive, that's good news. Merry Christmas 🎄