The government has mandated that the UK residents returning from coronavirus hotspots should quarantine in hotels for 10 days. The "red list” of coronavirus hotspots enlists 33 countries including Tanzania and South Africa where new Covid-19 variants have been detected in large numbers and incoming passengers are required to pay for the cost of their own accommodation. While some hoteliers have cautioned that the facility should be used “sparingly” by businessmen and those in dire need of travelling. Others explain that these measures will be key in curbing rising infection numbers and in some cases also partly help the collapsed hospitality industry to recuperate from the economic aftershock of the pandemic.
Surinder Arora, Founder and Chairman of the Arora Group, exclusively told Asian Voice, “Sadly, the government brought this system too late. Ideally, we should have had this in place last year the way Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia among others did. Better late than never.”
There are five airports in England at which red list arrivals can land, with the vast majority coming to London Heathrow besides Gatwick, Birmingham and London City airports. The government has secured nearly 5,000 rooms with 16 hotels for the latest measures and reportedly has another 50,000 rooms on standby should there be a need. Arora Group’s Heathrow Renaissance Hotel is one of the 16 hotels with 710 bedrooms being used as a quarantine facility.
Deep sanitisation of rooms and laundry after 72 hours
Expressing his disagreement with the view that these quarantine hotels could be the next Covid-19 hotspots in the UK, Mr Arora said, “The government has secured all the 710 bedrooms at our Renaissance Hotel as it is conscious of not mixing up passengers with other guests.
“I don’t agree that quarantine hotels will necessarily be the next Covid-19 hotspots. It all boils down to how one operates and maintains their premises in allegiance with the health and hygiene standards as established by Public Health England (PHE). Our priority is to look after our guests and staff.
“Thus, our management team had come up with a checklist of over 250 duties that must be carried out while servicing our guests, ensuring the safety of our staff and suppliers. For example, under normal conditions, the laundry sheets would be dispatched to the laundry rooms on a daily basis. Whereas now, we would leave the room empty for 72 hours and then go about the process of deep cleaning and sanitisation. The laundry items are also stored in a separate bag for 72 hours before they are sent away to the laundry company. This ensures the safety of our suppliers as well.”
Discussing the mishaps of such a system being followed in other countries such as Australia, he further noted, “In Australia, some hotels had a problem with a centralised air conditioning system. Our air conditioning system is not inter-connected and hence, there is no concern about transmission and air going from one room to another.”
High quarantine cost not ideal for holidaymakers and families
Travellers entering the UK are required to complete a passenger locator form, and lying about where they have been can lead to up to 10 years in prison. Alternatively, they can also be fined £10,000 for failing to declare they had travelled from a “red list” country.
The government previously also announced that travellers in quarantine hotels in England face an additional bill of up to £1,200 if they test positive for coronavirus during their stay. A positive result from the first test will extend a traveller’s stay by two nights at a cost of £304. If the second test returns a positive reading, the guest must remain in their room for an additional eight nights and pay £1,216. Guests are allowed to leave after 11 nights if they receive negative results from tests taken on day two and day eight of their isolation. Currently, these travellers have to pre-book and pay £1,750 to spend 10 days in government-sanctioned hotels. The cost covers the hotel stay, transport and testing.
Lord Rami Ranger CBE, Chairman and Founder of Sun Mark has cautioned that the facility should be used sparingly. He said, “These hotels should be used by business people and not by holidaymakers. There is no such thing as 100% safety or security. Therefore, this system is ideal for business people who have to travel for important meetings and who can quarantine and work from these hotels while in isolation upon their arrivals. Also, you must exercise extreme caution considering you are sharing common spaces including the restaurants, bars or other such open spaces.
“I would however, not recommend families with children to travel thinking that this system is in place. Everyone should use this government facility sparingly.”
Tourism and hospitality industry to make marginal gains
Besides, Heathrow Renaissance Hotel, other hotels include Radisson Blue Edwardian Hotel near Heathrow Airport and Taj Hotels in Central London.
Taj at St. James' Court is offering a "Stay Safe With Us" package starting from £799 (VAT inclusive) for 5 nights* for one person. At Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences, luxury quarantine packages commence from £ 1,395 (VAT inclusive) for 5 nights* and family packages starting from £2,475 (VAT inclusive) for 5 nights*. The government’s new facility might help some hoteliers in recuperating from the economic loss incurred due to months’ long national lockdown.
Mr Arora believes that the hospitality industry would be the last to recover from the pandemic. He added, “The travel and tourism industry is on its knees. It brings in more than 10% of our GDP in the UK and employees millions of peoples. In my personal view, the airlines, hotels, bars, pubs and clubs would be the last to recover from the economic losses of the pandemic. There will be massive casualties once the government support has been taken away.
“Any business is welcome and helpful. But I would much rather that we actually open up for normal business where all the hotels and leisure companies can benefit altogether. In my view the UK government has excelled in its vaccination drive, perhaps, achieving its targets better than any other country in comparison. We have vaccinated more than 15 million people equivalent to a third of our adult population.”
So far, 170 cases of the South African Covid-19 variant have been found in the UK. Scientists are concerned that a new mutation detected in the strain may prove resistant to available vaccines. Labour has called on the government to extend hotel quarantining to those returning to the UK from all countries, not just the areas on the "red list". But the Tory Government has described the plan as "implausible", arguing it would mean putting around 20,000 people in hotels every day.
