Royal Mail have suspended postal services to mainland Europe in response to disruptions to trade entering France caused by concerns about the new coronavirus variant.
They confirmed the news via an 'International Incident' bulletin on their website, advising of the suspension due to "the short-term closure of multiple international routes".
The Royal Mail expects there to be "significant" disruption to their international services as more countries adopt similar measures to France, and say that they are unclear as to how long these disruptions will remain in place.
A statement on their website reads: "Following recent announcements regarding the concerns over the new coronavirus variant in the UK, the French government have imposed a 48hr ban on any accompanied freight entering France by road from the UK. Freight lorries cannot cross by sea or through the Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover has closed to outbound traffic, meaning services to mainland Europe are disrupted (Excluding Republic of Ireland).
"There are many other countries taking similar measures, so we expect significant disruptions to our international services. Canada and Turkey have also cancelled flights to and from the UK and we expect other countries to follow.
"It's unclear how long these disruptions will remain in place, we'll update this site as soon as we have more information to share. We're urgently seeking alternative access points pending the opening of borders. We'll provide updates as the situation progresses."
Royal Mail say they are currently working with their airline and postal/courier partners across the globe to maintain services, but that delays should be expected.
