CORONAVIRUS // UPDATES FROM ITALY

From 30 June to 17 July, the area of Leicestershire has been locked down locally following a surge in corona virus cases in the region. The affected regions are: 

In Blaby District:

• Braunstone Town (including Fosse Park)
• Glenfield
• Glen Parva
• Leicester Forest East (east of the M1)
• Thorpe Astley

In Charnwood:

• Birstall
• Thurmaston
• all areas of Oadby and Wigston

In these areas, non-essential shops have been forced to close again and all shops that were supposed to open on 4 July (bars, restaurants and hairdressers) will not be allowed to open. Please contact your customers first and make sure that their consignees are open and able to receive shipments.

The opening on 04 July is a nationwide opening of all remaining businesses and will be done in the whole UK, except for the mentioned areas. These restrictions might lead to delays in deliveries for this area.

The Finnish government lifted the state of emergency on 16 June 2020. The internal border controls with Norway have been stopped as well. Border controls with the other countries remain in place until 14 July 2020. On 24 June 2020 the Finnish government adopted the guidelines on travel and border crossing rules. Internal border controls have been lifted for the following countries: Germany, Italy, Austria, Greece, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Liechtenstein. People coming from Croatia, Cyprus and Iceland are allowed to enter Finland.

Self-isolation remains recommended for people arriving from countries that are still subject to internal or external border control. Such countries include Sweden and Russia. Self-isolation is not required if the person arrives from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark or Iceland.

The government has been confirmed that the driving and resting times came back into effect from 01 June 2020.

The government of Norway has closed their border to their neighboring countries. The borders will remain closed for a further 90 days after 15 May 2020. Quarantine for business trips has been reduced to 10 days, for non-Nordic citizens. Persons whose work is necessary to maintain the proper functioning of critical social functions or to satisfy the basic needs of the population, this provision should not apply. Drivers should be exempted from quarantine if they move between their place of residence and their working place and are travelling during the period of their employment. During their free time, the quarantine is mandatory.

Freight transport is still possible; we are however experiencing delays at the borders.

The regular ferry cargo line between Kiel and Oslo has been reintroduced and is now running three times a week both ways. The government has announced that the driving and resting time restriction come into effect again immediately.

The Government of Estonia has announced a lockdown in the country and has decided to close all shops in the country except supermarkets and pharmacies. There are border checks conducted by the authorities, but no delays are reported. As of 01 June 2020, the Estonian borders have been reopened for people arriving from European countries.

The free movement between the three states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) has been restored since 15 May 2020. This is possible for people with a permanent residence in the three states and that do not show any symptoms. It has also been announced that people from Finland are allowed to travel to Estonia more frequently, without being required to go into quarantine, only if they do not show any symptoms.

Most of the business in Austria reopened and there should be only minor issues in deliveries.

The weekend and holiday driving bans have been reinforced as of 18 May 2020.

The border controls have been suspended at the internal borders with Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Border controls are maintained at the border with Italy. Border controls at the borders with Hungary and Slovenia will be maintained until 11 November 2020.

Denmark reopened almost all business and there should be only minor issues with deliveries. Before dispatching your shipment, please make sure that the consignee is in business and able to receive your shipment.

Still, delays at the border are to be expected.

The German government has opened the borders to Austria, Switzerland, France, and Luxembourg on 16 May 2020. On 15 June 2020 the border with Denmark will be opened again. All border crossing points will be operative again. The controls will be reduced to sample checks at the borders with Austria, Switzerland, and France. With Luxembourg, the controls will be abandoned completely.

The German Federal administration did not extend the temporary driving and rest time regulations after 31 May 2020. The regulation according to Article 14.2 of the EU Regulation 561⁄2006 will fully apply again from June.

The government has also decided to close all malls, bars, restaurants and similar locations. The government has announced that from 20 April 2020, smaller shops are allowed to reopen again.

The delays from the Czech Republic to Germany have been cleared so far and there are no delays reported.

Slovakia has decided to open all border-crossing points with their neighboring countries, except for the border with Poland. On the Slovakian-Polish border, controls will be conducted until 26 June 2020. The only open crossing points there are TrstenáChyžné and Vyšný Komárnik-Barwinek.

The state of emergency were applied to public hospitals, from 16 March 2020 temporary closure measures for shopping centers and some service providers excluding food shops, pharmacies, gas stations etc. Other measures valid from 24 March 2020 are the ban on organizing collective sporting, cultural and social events is extended until further notice. From 22 April 2020 the Slovakian government introduced the first phase of release measures, shops are open except shopping centers.

On Wednesday, 06 May 2020, the 2nd and 3rd phases of the release of measures were launched, including the operation of taxis and accommodation in a restricted mode, strict hygiene measures must be observed. The 4th phase of release of measures from 20 May 2020: Wearing a protective mask in the exterior at a distance of 5 meters is optional, in the interior it remains obligatory to wear a protective mask. From 21 May 2020 people can visit the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia and Croatia for 24 hours without testing or quarantine. Catering establishments can provide services in compliance with strict hygiene measures. Shopping centers, cinemas, theaters and other mass events with up to 100 people are also opening. The same conditions must be observed in areas intended for the consumption of food and beverages as in public catering establishments. From June, primary schools will be open on a limited basis. Situation is monitored by the Ministry of Health.

On 29 May 2020, Ukraine opened 66 border crossing points on the borders with EU Member States and Moldova. 56 border crossing points on the border with Belarus remain closed because of the epidemiological situation in the country.

Given the fact that Ukraine and neighboring countries have imposed restrictions on crossing the state borders, the State Border Service of Ukraine has released a list of checkpoints that operate between Ukraine and neighboring countries. In addition, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Ukraine and most of the neighboring countries have restricted entry of foreigners to their territory. Some border-crossing points remain open to international road transport.

The Slovenian government has updated its regulations on the road freight transport to Slovenia. Only four border crossing points remain open for entry through Italy. The road freight transport from Italy to Slovenia is currently stopped at the border except for:

• Trucks with their final destination in Slovenia

• Trucks with postage, medicine equipment, pharmaceutical products or humanitarian help.

As from 22 May 2020, a negative test is no longer necessary to enter Serbia nor a special permit for domestic and foreign citizens. It has been announced that from 01 June 2020 , the borders will be fully open for people coming from the 4 neighbouring countries – BiH, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia.

The delays at the Serbian-Hungarian border are currently about 1-2 hours on entry to Serbia and 1-2 hours on entry to Hungary. The delays at the Croatian-Serbian border are at about 1 hour for entry to Serbia and 1-2 hours for exit from Serbia. Currently trucks with a Serbian Number plate cannot enter Albania, shipments will be delayed by 24 hours. We are currently expecting delays of at least 24 hours for all collections and deliveries made.

The Government issued Step 2 of their roadmap, which includes opening of non essential stores. Outdoor markets and car showrooms are allowed to reopen from 01 June 2020. Retail shops are expected to be able to reopen from 15 June 2020.

The UK government has announced that the logistics sector is considered essential and will therefore not be subject to a shutdown.

The UK government has decided to lift the restrictions on driving and resting times, we are expecting a positive impact on our operations. These measures have been extended until 31 May 2020.

Before dispatching your shipment, please make sure that the consignee is in business and able to receive your shipment.

Update for Northern Ireland: Due to the current situation, our network is now working with limited staff and a reduced fleet, which leads to less capacities in their collections and deliveries. This might lead to delays. It has also been announced that the driving and resting times in Northern Ireland have been lifted until 31 May 2020.

The state of emergency in the Czech Republic has officially ended on 17 May 2020. All driving restrictions are in place again.

All transports to and from the Czech Republic are still possible with some delays to be expected at the borders, as the smaller border crossing points are closed and health checks are conducted.

Quarantine rules are now in place for drivers entering into the country, they are however not quarantined at the border.

The Romanian government has also set up transit corridors through the country, where transit is possible without interruptions.

There are currently some delays to be expected at the Hungarian – Romanian border. The government also announced that the driving restrictions have been lifted until 31 May 2020, we expect a positive impact on our operations.

The Bulgarian government has lifted the state of emergency in the country and announced an emergency epidemic situation, which will be in place from 14 May 2020 to 14 June 2020. Entry bans for foreign nationals from risk areas are still in place and the measures for international freight transports remain the same.

Since 18 March 2020, Bulgaria has closed its borders for people coming from risk areas. There are special restrictions for truck drivers in place. Generally, there is a 14-day quarantine rule, which does not apply to foreign drivers if they leave Bulgaria immediately after unloading in Bulgaria or if they transit within 24 hours. Bulgarian drivers are also subject to the quarantine unless they are returning to one of risk areas. In this instance they must remain in quarantine until they leave.

The government has also suspended the driving and resting time restrictions. Since 30 March 2020, the border crossing point with Greece “Zlatograd – Thermes” has been closed until further notice. The check points that had been established at the town of Bansko and all regional centers have been lifted. People’s movements is restricted to essential activities. Freight transport is not restricted, but delays are to be expected.

The Government of Bulgaria now requires truck drivers coming from countries with registered Covid-19 cases to undergo a 14-day quarantine. However, drivers are still allowed to transit Bulgaria for the purpose of carrying out or completing international transport and related activities. Therefore, Road Transport is not affected.

The government has also announced to suspend the holiday driving bans for trucks over 12 to between 17 April 2020 and 17 May 2020.

The government of Poland declared the state of epidemiological emergency and has closed the borders for all foreign travelers. The border controls have officially been extended until 12 June 2020. Freight transportation is not affected.

Poland has lifted the rules for driving and resting times until 31 May 2020, we expect a positive impact on our operations.

Since 17 March 2020, the Hungarian government has closed the borders. This does not apply for international transports or transit.

The delays to enter Hungary from Croatia are currently about 4 hours. Hungary also has imposed a national lockdown for its inhabitants since 28 March 2020, This does not affect road transportation in general.

Lithuania has extended the country-wide lockdown until 11 May 2020. Since 16 April 2020, smaller shops are allowed to reopen again. Lithuanian drivers must go into a 14-day quarantine when returning to the country but are allowed to leave if they have to perform another transport.

Lithuania is on quarantine and foreigners are not allowed to enter, which does not apply to freight transportation. Health checks are conducted, which might lead to delays when entering to Lithuania. The traffic jams at the border to Poland have been cleared for now and traffic is running smoothly. Several smaller border checkpoints have been closed.

Health checks are carried out at the border from Poland to Belarus.

Average delays of 1-2 days have been reported.

Foreigners can only enter Kazakhstan in exceptional cases. However, international road freight traffic should not be restricted. 
Nevertheless, drivers from the EU (DE, IT, FR, ES) are denied entry, or they have to go into a 14-day quarantine