How UK Hotel Quarantine Works, and How It Compares Abroad

On 15 February 2021, coaches carrying passengers who had just landed at Heathrow pulled up at the Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel. These were the first arrivals under Britain's new hotel quarantine rule, which sends travellers from COVID-19 hotspots straight from the airport to a government-designated room for 10 days.

The rule applies to British and Irish nationals and UK residents arriving in England who have been in, or passed through, any of 33 "red list" countries. The list includes Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Portugal, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe, among others. Foreign nationals and non-UK residents coming from those places were already banned from entering. Scotland went further: everyone arriving from overseas must quarantine in a hotel, whatever the country of origin. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the aim is to stop new variants reaching the UK, after they emerged in South Africa and Brazil.

The traveller carries the burden of arranging it. Before departure, a passenger needs a negative COVID test taken in the previous three days. They must book a quarantine package through the government website and complete a passenger locator form that includes the hotel and a booking reference. Arrivals are limited to Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Birmingham and Farnborough. Landing elsewhere can mean a fine of up to £10,000 plus the hotel cost, and arriving without a booked package carries a penalty of up to £4,000 plus the cost.

On arrival, passengers are met at passport control, guided through baggage reclaim and customs, and taken directly to the hotel. Anyone with a car at the airport must extend the parking and pay for it. The day of arrival counts as day zero, and guests then stay in their rooms for a further 10 days. Fresh air or limited exercise is possible only with special permission and with a security guard alongside. The government said needing a cigarette is not a reason to go outside, and smoking is not allowed in rooms.

Rooms are left empty for three days beforehand and deep cleaned between guests, and the air conditioning is set not to recirculate air between rooms. Everyone except children under five must take tests on or before day two and day eight, with kits left outside the door and collected by security. Skipping a test can bring a fine of up to £2,000 and a longer stay. If the day-eight result has not arrived by the end of day 10, the guest stays. A positive result means 10 more days of quarantine from that point for the guest and anyone with them, so a positive on or after day eight could total 18 days, at £152 a day beyond the first 10.

Rooms have a television, wifi, tea and coffee facilities, basic toiletries, disposable cleaning products and laundry service. Menu-chosen meals are left on trays outside three times a day with fruit, water and soft drinks. Room service runs around the clock, and deliveries can be brought up from reception.

The package costs £1,750 for one adult for 10 days and 11 nights. Each additional person over 12 in the room pays £650, and children aged five to 12 pay £325. Under-fives are free, with the government covering food and drink for three- to five-year-olds. A second negative test lets a guest leave after day 10, with transport back to the arrival airport. Hotels sit near the five English airports and near Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow; Best Western, Novotel and Radisson chains are involved.

England is far from the first. Australia introduced mandatory hotel quarantine at the end of March 2020, with a stay of at least 14 days and about £1,695 in New South Wales. New Zealand requires at least 14 days at a flat rate of $3,100 (£1,633) for one person. Hong Kong demands 21 days for most arrivals, with prices from £950 to £98,000. Qatar asks for seven days at £548 to £810, Singapore about £1,100 plus test fees, and Taiwan 14 days at £26 to £522. China, India, the Philippines and others also run schemes. What remains to be seen is whether England's rules tighten further as variants spread.