Hundreds of Britons stranded in red list countries as quarantine hotels in the UK run out of space
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Ministers are racing to expand quarantine hotels, with hundreds of Britons stuck abroad in red-listed countries because the Government has run out of space.
Some travellers stranded in South Africa say they have been told they will have to wait until Dec 13 before any quarantine hotels are ready for them – forcing them to spend hundreds of pounds more on bed and board abroad.
Travel industry sources claimed Nigeria was added to the red list at the weekend even though there was not enough quarantine hotel capacity for the extra passengers.
Anyone returning from any of the 11 red-listed countries has to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel at a cost of up to £2,285. It is understood arrivals at Heathrow have to be bussed to Milton Keynes and Luton because hotels around the airport have spurned quarantine in favour of paying Christmas guests.
“The Department of Health and Social Care [DHSC] is desperately trying to find more hotel space. It is going to have to be massively expanded. That’s what they are very, very focused on in the coming days, especially with Nigeria having been added and the likelihood of others to follow,” said a source.
The DHSC acknowledged that some passengers had been unable to get a room but advised people not to travel until they had done so because they could face a fine of up to £4,000 for arriving without a booking.
Photo – Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London, Britain. EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN
