‘Absolute joke’: UK hotel quarantine slammed
The first guests in the UK’s hotel quarantine program have complained about no books and open toilet seats. But there may be more fatal flaws.
Toilets left with the seat up, no books to read, a dirty teaspoon – the first people to enter Britain’s belated hotel quarantine system are not taking it well.
One passenger complained that she didn’t want to spend her birthday cooped up in a hotel room just outside London’s Heathrow Airport.
But the niggles from those locked up are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the many problems with the UK’s sudden embrace of hotel quarantine.
Arriving passengers have been left to wander around terminals; there is confusion as to who needs to head into quarantine and the system so full of loopholes that one family was allowed to leave their hotel just hours after they arrived despite being from one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19.
The system has been branded an “absolute joke” by airport staff while Britain’s opposition Labour Party has said there are “fatal flaws” in the hotel quarantine policy.
“The public will not forgive the UK government for getting this wrong,” said shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds.
But the Government has insisted the new program is going “smoothly”.
RELATED: Worrying sign from leading vax nation
Eleven months after Australia began funnelling overseas rivals into hotels, the UK has finally caught onto the idea.
Dedicated quarantine hotels on the outskirts of major airports began taking guests on Monday.
UK Home Office minister Victoria Atkins told the BBC the system being introduced had “standards (that) are among the strongest in the world”.
Nonetheless, it’s a far looser system to that being used in Australia or New Zealand.
Arrivals to the UK have to isolate in hotels for 10, not 14 days. And they are allowed out for walks around the block – something certainly not allowed in Australia due to the risk of passing on the virus.
Unlike Australia, those entering UK quarantine have to pay for it ahead of arrival at a cost of £1750 ($A3100). But the booking website was taken offline minutes after it launched last week due to “technical issues”.
Not everyone landing in Britain is even escorted to hotels. Those who land in England and have been to 33 “red list” countries, where the risk of COVID-19 is higher, have to take part in the program. Travellers from elsewhere can isolate at home instead.
The red list includes all countries in Latin America and southern Africa as well as Portugal and the United Arab Emirates.
But if someone lands in Scotland, no matter where they came from, they have to hotel quarantine.
RELATED: WHO’s alarming new virus discovery
LOOPHOLES IN SYSTEM
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the English scheme was “too leaky” and has threatened to close the English-Scottish border, something that has not happened throughout the pandemic, because of the risk of non quarantined infected travellers heading north.
But there are exceptions to Scotland’s system too.
This led to confusion on Monday when an eight-year-old girl and her father who arrived into Edinburgh from the US were sent straight to a quarantine hotel.
“We were willing and happy to do it,” said Danielle Wong of her husband and daughter who she had not seen for 16 months.
“It’s an appropriate measure but it needs to be made simpler for people coming here.”
Hours later, however, the family were reunited when it was discovered they had changed planes in Dublin. As Irish arrivals are exempt from hotel quarantine, no matter where they set off from originally, they were allowed to head home.
In Australia, international passengers on each plane are separated from other passengers when they land. In the UK, they wander into the terminal with everyone else, potentially spreading the virus the minute they get to Britain.
One arriving passenger from a red list country said they had to identify themselves to staff and could have quite easily walked out of the terminal without being noticed.
RELATED: 3-minute test could open borders
‘ABSOLUTE JOKE’
A UK border official told The Guardian, staff were only told of the new rules in an email two hours prior to them coming into force which amounted to an “absolute joke”.
Labour’s Ms Thomas-Symonds said the new measures were “unacceptable” and claimed passengers, staff and the wider public were being put at risk.
“When people have been making such extraordinary sacrifices and taking hope from the vaccine rollout, it is unacceptable that the doors could be left open through such haphazard and inadequate protections at the border.
“The fatal flaws in the government’s half-baked hotel quarantine policy show why only a comprehensive system can work,” he told website The Independent.
COMPLAINTS FROM TRAVELLERS
Despite the reduced time people have to spend in British quarantine, the complaints from frustrated travellers have begun to roll in.
Shinga Nyashanu and her family are quarantined at a Heathrow hotel after arriving from Zimbabwe. Ms Nyashanu said the room was “filthy” with blood on the sheets and a tray of half eaten food from a previous guest.
“We have come here because we have to quarantine – the rooms should be clean before they make us stay in them,” she told The Sun newspaper.
“It was really filthy when we got here. It’s really not what you expect. It was quite a shock and made me feel sick.”
The family also said toilet tissue had been left in the loo with the seat up, mugs and teaspoons were dirty and wet towels were dumped next to the sink. The hotel said they were investigating the issue and had moved the family.
“The food has been OK so far and the staff have been helpful apart from our room situation, said Ms Nyashanu.
Roger Goncalves, who arrived from Brazil questioned why he was being quarantined as he had returned a negative COVID test.
He told the BBC the cost of quarantine was “too high” and “crazy for 10 days”.
Zari Tadayon, who flew in from Dubai, said she wasn’t happy because she wanted to spend her birthday with her family but would now be in stuck in a hotel.
“I feel horrible because I live here (in the UK), I have my own individual home, and also I have some medical issues which I was hoping they would consider.
“I’m not prepared. I didn’t bring books and stuff. But those are the rules, what can you do?”
UK health secretary Matt Hancock said the implementation of the UK’s quarantine system was going “smoothly” during its first few days.
He defended Britain not forcing all oversees traveller into hotels.
“There are some countries with very, very little coronavirus right now so we’re taking a proportionate approach.
“If they’ve been to one of the red list countries then they need to declare that and if they don’t, that’s an imprisonable offence.”
Australia’s hotel quarantine system began on March 28, 2020. It too was initially criticised when it started with guests complaining of poor quality hotels, dire food and the inability to access munch needed medicines.
Guests were moved from a Sydney Travelodge following persistent complaints.
However, as the months have passed those criticisms have generally lessened after more comfortable hotels were added to the program.
‘Sick’: Musk tries to take down government
Elon Musk is continuing his barrage of attacks on the UK government over a historical sex abuse scandal.
‘Medieval misogyny’: Epic take-down of Musk
The Tesla boss’ recent war of words with an entire continent has seen him cop a piercing critique from a leading media figure.
‘Time to worry’: UK hammered by dismal news
PM Keir Starmer’s government have only been in power for months, but damning new figures threaten to derail it.