Lufthansa Airlifts 80 Tonnes of Food to UK Amid Concerns About Food Shortages, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany's Lufthansa airline is delivering 80 tonnes of fruit and vegetables to the United Kingdom amid fears of food shortages that persist despite London and Paris having reached a deal on cargo truck movement, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.

Last week, the UK identified a new variant of the coronavirus that is 70 percent more transmissible than other SARS-CoV-2 virus strains. After media reports, many countries across the world, including France, shut their borders and halted travel to the UK, undermining food supply chains and creating concern among UK citizens.

According to the news outlet, the airline is flying lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, strawberries and citrus fruits into the UK and is mulling over setting up special cargo flights. The airline says its Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft will arrive at Doncaster Sheffield Airport at lunchtime.

London and Paris finally reached a deal on Tuesday evening to allow truck drivers and EU residents who test negative within 72 hours to cross, but anyone testing positive will have to take a PCR test and, if still positive, sent to COVID-secured hotel accommodation to self-isolate.