‘Fatal flaws’ exist in government’s hotel quarantine policy, Labour says

‘The public will not forgive the UK government for getting this wrong’

International travellers are escorted to a bus as they are moved to a Radison Blu hotel for quarantine from Heathrow airport on Monday (EPA)

Labour has claimed “fatal flaws” exist in the government’s hotel quarantine policy, with concerns that passengers from high-risk areas are mixing with others on planes and at airports before isolating.

As the first passengers from 33 “red list” countries began arriving at government-designated quarantine hotels on Monday, the shadow home secretary said the measure in its current format was “bound to be ineffective” in a letter to Priti Patel.

Under the new policy, individuals entering England are only permitted to do so at Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Birmingham and Farnborough airports before being escorted to coaches from the terminal.

The government has contracts with 16 hotels to provide 4,600 rooms, with a further 50,000 on stand-by. Passengers are requested to pay £1,750 each for 11 nights, which includes the cost for security personnel on the premises.

Despite government assurances that “separate” systems such as baggage control have been put in place to stop passengers mixing inside the airport with others from areas not on the “red list”, reports have highlighted individuals will be able to mix on board flights and at airport queues.

In his letter to Ms Patel, Nick Thomas-Symonds, who has been calling for a blanket hotel quarantine policy to prevent new strains entering the country, said: “The public will not forgive the UK government for getting this wrong.

“It is unacceptable that even these limited quarantine measures appear to have so many flaws, which could put at risk the health of travellers, staff and the wider public.

“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 also asked the government to outline what procedures exist to “ensure that the strictest possible social distancing measures are in place at airports”.

He added: “Trade unions and others have warned about the prospect of long lines of passengers waiting at the UK border. What measures have been taken to ensure that travellers from ‘red list’ countries are isolated from other travellers and Border Force staff are kept safe?”

Earlier, No 10 said the government was working closely with airlines to ensure that flights were Covid secure, adding: “When people arrive in the UK, the ports and airports have got specific arrangements for those that need to go into quarantine.”

The prime minister’s official spokesperson reiterated that those travelling are required to have tested negative before boarding the plane and insisted there were “separate processes for if you come from a red list country or if you don’t”.

“For example, there will be a separated baggage reclaim section for those who come in from a red list country. Once they have collected their baggage, they go straight onto a coach and go to one of the hotels that we have provided and they have paid for.

“From the point that they land, there are different processes for those that come from a red list country and those who have come from other countries.”

Earlier, lawyers from the international firm PGMBM announced they are planning a legal challenge against the hotel policy, arguing it contravenes travellers’ human rights, despite the government insisting it is required to prevent new strains of the virus entering the country.

Ministers first announced the intention to introduce hotel quarantine measures last month, giving travellers in red list countries nearly three weeks’ warning of the start date.

As a result, many passengers made sure they arrived by Valentine’s Day, thereby avoiding paying £1,750 for 11 nights in a hotel. During the morning peak from 6am to 9.30am, only eight passengers arriving at Heathrow had enlisted for hotel quarantine.

GMB union’s national officer Nadine Houghton also warned that its security guard members working at the government-designated hotels were being put “at risk” due to the “rushed policy”.

“Without working through the detail and listening to the voice of the workers delivering their policies, ministers risk failing at the first hurdle when trying to contain new variants,” she said.

“The government has given security companies less than 36 hours’ notice to put staff and plans in place to carry out this policy. It’s a shambles.

“We will not sit back while our members are asked to do potentially unsafe work. There must be thorough negotiations on risk assessments and ensuring proper PPE is being provided. This isn’t just about the safety of workers, it’s about preventing new variants from spreading at a time when we are beginning to turn the tide on the virus.”