After several days of waiting in their truck, thousands of truckers stuck in Dover, England, were able to leave for France.

Among them, Cédric, who does not hide his joy at the microphone of Europe 1. 

"It feels good to see something other than a trailer in front of me."

After four days blocked in Dover because of the new strain of the coronavirus, like thousands of other truckers, Cédric has finally left.

"Disgusted for [his] family" for having spent New Years Eve in his truck, the truck driver who confided in Europe 1 on Thursday evening was confused once again as soon as he was able to restart his engine.

"I am free!" He exclaims at the microphone of Europe 1. 

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"I'm going towards the Channel Tunnel"

But he is not out of the woods, and he knows it.

"I don't know how long I'm free for, because I'm going towards the Channel Tunnel [to reach Reims, note]."

But Cédric has an asset plastered on his windshield, his negative PCR test.

A

sine qua non condition

to hope to ride again on French roads.

In a hurry to find his wife and children, Cédric was forced to spend New Years Eve "eating crisps with aperitif cookies while drinking a soda".

A menu that is far from the traditional turkey and foie gras. 

"My last shower was Tuesday morning"

If he manages to cross the border, Cédric hopes to be back home in the evening.

And the first thing he plans to do is take a good shower.

"My last shower was Tuesday morning," he says.

"It's life 'à l'anglaise', by the bottle, with the means at hand. But hey, that does not replace a real shower!". 

4,500 truck drivers restarted

Like Cédric, more than 4,500 truckers were able to leave the port of Dover, according to the British Minister for Transport, Grant Shapps.

More than 10,000 Covid tests have been carried out, 24 of which have been found to be positive, he said.

Normally, up to 10,000 trucks pass through Dover every day, the main English port for crossing the Channel.

To strengthen screening capabilities, the British Ministry of Defense deployed 800 additional troops on Friday, in addition to the 300 already mobilized.