The introduction of quarantine hotel policy is beginning to generation controversies in the United Kingdom (UK). A travel investor in the UK has warned that the “anticipated five million pound up front cost” of the government’s quarantine hotel policy can be put into better use if spent on testing arrivals and departures at UK airports.
Paul Charles, operator of Quash Quarantine campaign was cited to have told the BBC that, “Governments use these blunt tools and put these measures in place relatively quickly, although, this [the hotel quarantine policy] has been very slow, but they have a habit of leaving them in place longer than is necessary,”
It was disclosed that the quarantine policy will commence on February 15, 2021, focusing on citizens arriving from ‘high risk’ countries, who would be meant to go into 10 days isolation at a designated hotel, at their own cost.
UK Foreign Minister, James Cleverly, was said to have admitted on Friday that no hotels had yet “formally” signed up to the Government’s plan.
Cleverly further emphasised on Friday that the Government will work with other countries to “help facilitate” coronavirus immunity documents, if they are required by destinations abroad.
Greece had on Thursday disclosed plans to open to visitors who can provide proof on inoculation.
The border porosity has become an issue of concerns in the management of coronavirus. It was gathered that Travel journalist, Mark Stratton, who spent long time at Heathrow airport on Friday, disclosed that the border checks weren’t quite what are expected.
Mark Stratton on his official twitter handle (@MarkofDartmoor revealed that he went to the airport with documents supporting his assignment, except for COVID-19 test result, but was not asked once to declare why he needed to travel.
Chief Analyst at StrategicAero Research, Saj Ahmad, was cited to have declared: “These measures could well last several months, or even until next summer. The real challenge for mandatory hotel quarantines will ultimately be paced by vaccination rollouts from the countries where passengers are coming from …”
Also, Senior Analyst at OAG, John Grant, maintained: “My assessment is that we can expect these hotel quarantines to be with us until around the end of May or early June this year, assuming that the current rates of UK vaccinations continue and that the most recent news about the resilience of the vaccines is correct.”
The quarantine policy which several countries refer to as isolation centres have been so controversial over time. The duration of quarantine and claims of recovery after people have claimed to have tested positive raised questions of the authenticity of coronavirus infection. The coronavirus financial fortunes have been generating suspicion of deliberate hype of the virus.