In the face of the threat of a lack of supplies, Britain is seeking to find a way out of the crisis with France that would allow the movement of goods across the English Channel to resume, which was halted after the spread of a strain that spreads coronavirus infection faster. 

The strong spread of this new strain of the virus, which increases its transmission rate by 40 to 70 percent, according to British estimates reported to the World Health Organization, posed a dilemma by the end of the year for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

With a trade deal with Brussels stalling less than 10 days before the Brexit deadline, Johnson was forced over the weekend to urgently re-impose isolation on the 16 million Britons who will not be able to meet their families at Christmas.

He must now deal with the repercussions of the decision of dozens of countries, including France, to deny entry to expatriates from the United Kingdom, which disrupts commercial exchanges and threatens, in the event that a solution is not found quickly, to cause a shortage of fresh products in the coming days.

On Tuesday, the European Commission recommended European Union member states to facilitate the resumption of transport traffic with Britain for "essential travel" and "to avoid supply chain disruptions."

Tuesday evening, ambassadors from European Union member states will discuss the recommendation, which aims to allow thousands of EU and UK citizens to return home.

Among the solutions offered by London is to test the drivers of hundreds of trucks stranded in the southeast of England after being prevented from reaching the continent following a decision taken by France on Sunday evening to stop any movement from the United Kingdom for a period of 48 hours.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel told Sky News on Tuesday that a diagnostic test at ports was being discussed. "We are discussing with our French counterparts, we will find a solution," she stressed.

The minister said that there are currently 650 trucks stuck on the highway leading from London to the Port of Dover, which is the main port before crossing the closed English Channel to traffic from Britain since Sunday evening. More than 800 other heavy trucks loaded with goods were waiting at an old airport nearby.

- 'A tablet of grain' -

"They should really open borders and operate more freely from tomorrow (Wednesday) to ensure there is no disruption" in the stores' supply chain, said Andrew Obie, one of the chairs of the British Retail Consortium, an association that represents distributors. He told the BBC that salads, vegetables and fresh fruit could run out "right after Christmas."

Fears are rising with a few days left before the end of the post-Brexit transition period on December 31. As trade negotiations between London and Brussels have yet to bear fruit, and if they fail, the introduction of the quota system and the imposition of customs duties raises fears of major disruptions to the country's supplies.

Rod Mackenzie, general manager of the Road Transport Association, said the stranded drivers Monday obtained a "nutritious cereal bar" from Kent City. He told the BBC: "I think this is too little to support them morally," in addition to the "big problem" that is the lack of toilets and washing places.

Boris Johnson said during a press conference on Monday that he had discussed the situation with French President Emmanuel Macron, who told him that he wanted "to find a solution to the situation in the coming hours."

A European source said Tuesday that Johnson spoke on Monday evening to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the post-Brexit negotiations and the epidemic situation.

Johnson said the risk of truck drivers taking the pandemic is "very small."

Johnson's handling of the crisis has come under heavy criticism. The pandemic has killed about 68,000 people in Britain, making the country one of the worst affected in Europe.