A NEW hotel quarantine scheme will force all arrivals from 33 'high-risk' countries to pay to self-isolate for 10 days at government-mandated hotels.
Here is what travellers can expect if they are forced to stay at a quarantine hotel.
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How much will a quarantine hotel cost?
An industry source told the BBC said that it could be up to £80 a night, working out to £800 per person for the 10 days.
However, in Australia and New Zealand, which already have the restrictions in place, it costs up to £1,600 per person to quarantine at a hotel for two weeks.
What is included at the quarantine hotel?
While still to be confirmed, guests would get three meals a day in their rooms, with tea, coffee, fruit and water offered as well.
Coronavirus tests throughout the stay would also be offered, although it isn't clear how many will be required.
Full list of countries where all arrivals have to quarantine at a UK hotel
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Ecuador
- Eswatini
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores)
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- Uruguay
- UAE
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
How will the quarantine hotels work?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained: "They will be met at the airport and transported directly into quarantine.
“The Department of Health and Social care is working to establish these facilities as quickly as possible.”
Documents seen by The Telegraph show Government appointed security would patrol all floors of the hotels and that guests would have to clean their own rooms.
It's thought security teams will escort guests outside if they need to smoke or get fresh air.
Anyone who is required to quarantine will get three meals a day and unprepared guests can have their laundry done.
Hotels will be needed close to 10 key airports and ports across the UK including Heathrow, the Eurostar, Aberdeen and Manchester.
28,140 rooms will be needed, according to the plan, as each room will require a 72-hour deep clean after each stay.
Which hotels will be part of the quarantine hotel restrictions?
This is yet to be confirmed by the government but it was revealed that talks were in place with IHG Group, which owns Holiday Inns.
The Telegraph reports the Government is racing to reserve 28,000 hotel rooms across the UK.
However it has been revealed that they have not signed a single contract with a hotel group over the planned isolation facilities.
PC Agency's Paul Charles has warned that the government needs to give an end date to the quarantine hotel restrictions or the UK faces being cut off for up to a year.
He told Sun Online Travel: “We need the government to put an end date on these measures – what is the exit plan and roadmap for coming out."
“But we need to see an exit plan, otherwise people wouldn’t have confidence to book summer holidays and there is a danger these policies would stay in place for several months.
“But the fear and concern is these would last longer than March.
“That's why we need an end date and to know what the criteria is for ending the scheme, otherwise Britain could be disconnected from the world for a year or more, which is really what's happening in Australia.”
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