‘It’s a pointless exercise’: Chaos as red list ends but hotel quarantine continues

“This morning we thought that we could go, that no one had any right to stop us, that there was no law that was going to bar us from leaving the hotel. So this morning we walked out.”

So said Professor Giles Wigg of Oxford University as he left hotel quarantine at the Sofitel at Gatwick airport just after 6am.

Despite officials pleading to be given time to complete the right paperwork, a steady stream of travellers have been checking themselves out of hotel quarantine at the airport since 4am.

“I felt we were really here as an expression of the government’s wish to show that they had tough borders,” said Professor Wigg. He had been on a research trip to Namibia when the nation was added to the red list.

“It increasingly became apparent that it was a pointless exercise – that the variant was already in community transmission throughout the UK.

“As the days went on, we all felt that the whole thing was just a waste of time. I felt, certainly, a bit of a political pawn.”

A security guard told The Independent: “The people who are leaving have signed to say they know they’ll get a £10,000 fine if they leave early.

“I’ve had nine walk out on me so far. The police aren’t interested.”

The exodus came at the end of many hours of confusion accompanying the end of the travel red list.

The news that all 11 African countries would be taken off the red list from 4am on Wednesday was initially leaked to newspapers before being confirmed by the health secretary, Sajid Javid, during the debate on new Covid measures.

After the first leaks emerged, the government was asked repeatedly what would happen to the thousands of travellers from those nations currently in hotel quarantine: would they be allowed to leave, and would they be refunded for the unused part of their stay?

Yet it became clear during Tuesday’s Commons debate that the question had not even been considered ahead of the decision.

Labour’s Ben Bradshaw asked the health secretary, Sajid Javid: “Will he now release all those people who are currently incarcerated in so-called quarantine hotels in inhumane conditions in this country?”

Mr Javid replied: ”I am told that the practice in the past was to require them to complete their quarantine period, but I understand the importance of the point.

“I have asked for urgent advice about what that means. I hope to add to that very soon.”

During the evening the Cabinet Office minister, Steve Barclay, was sent back to Parliament to report the results after the health secretary had “urgently considered” the issue.

He said: “The government’s decision is that we should permit early release of those who went into managed quarantine before the changes to the red list and require them to follow the relevant rules as if they had arrived from a non-red list country.”

Anyone who had tested positive for Covid-19 was required to remain in hotel quarantine. It appeared that travellers would be free to leave their quarantine hotels at 4am on Wednesday, when the red list ended.

But because the policy for travellers stuck in hotels had not been considered, releasing them required a change in the law.

“We will look to implement that as quickly as possible and we will set out further specific guidance for affected individuals imminently,” Mr Barclay told the Commons.

During the night, people in hotel quarantine were woken to be given a letter signed by Tracy Cottis, who was described as deputy director of operate [sic] of the Managed Quarantine Service at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

It read: “We would ask that you remain in quarantine for the time being until we are able to facilitate an early release from quarantine in line with public health guidelines.

“More details of this will be shared with you by lunchtime. We appreciate the need for a quick resolution and clarity on this issue so will endeavour to get that to you as soon as possible.”

The letter ended: “Thank you for your continued support to reducing the spread of Covid-19 into the United Kingdom.”

Labour’s Ben Bradshaw said: ““I don’t blame the people who are leaving. The situation has been a shambles and completely intolerable and unjustifiable for those incarcerated.

“I very much doubt the government or police will take any action against those leaving these hotels and ‘breaking’ their quarantine given all the Covid law breaking in Number 10.”

The DHSC is said to be “working urgently to make arrangements for individuals’ early release from managed quarantine” and is expected to make an announcement later today.