A passenger who was quarantining after arriving into the UK from red-list Dubai has slammed his ‘chaotic’ quarantine hotel after he claims he saw ‘staff smoking with quarantining passengers’.
Dan Sheridan, 48, returned from Dubai on June 5 and described the government travel system as “flawed” and “unorganised” as he waited “over three hours without food or water” after arriving at Heathrow Airport.
Dubai is on the government’s ‘red list’ so arrivals must quarantine in a government hotel for 10 days.
Dan, from Essex, said: “If you’re going to deem people ‘red list’ then manage it properly, if you’re going to put people in quarantine hotels, manage it…
“We’re bringing people in and saying we’ve got a process in place but we actually have not.”
READ MORE:London parents and toddler, 2, forced to wait 9 hours with ‘no food or water’ to reach quarantine hotel
Dan alleges he saw security staff ‘smoking with passengers’ in quarantine
Dan completed his 10-day government-mandated quarantine at the DoubleTree Hilton hotel in Reading and claims he witnessed ‘sub-contracted’ security staff at the hotel smoking with passengers, who were meant to be isolating.
He said: “They’re walking around with no masks, smoking with people in quarantine, standing there chatting away.”
The Hilton hotel responded to these claims and said this was not the fault of hotel staff.
Dan also described the food he received as “poor” and added: “Anyone who calls themselves a chef or a cook should be ashamed of what they’re dishing out.
“It wasn’t low level mass catering, it was worse than that.”
Dan described the food at the quarantine hotel as ‘poor’
The 48-year-old said he had to “chase” after his lunch and dinner after receiving it at a delayed time and reports the hotel “nearly” ran out of bottled water. Dan added that, despite being vegan, he was given food with cheese on.
A spokesperson from the Hilton hotel told My London that the responsibility for recording passengers’ dietary requirements lie with security company, G4S, who then pass on the information to hotel staff.
G4S told My London the safety of staff and quarantined travellers “is our top priority”.
The former expatriate returned from Dubai via a connecting flight from Dublin Airport, which he boarded with people arriving from countries on the green list, before being separated from them at Heathrow Airport.
He said: “The whole system is flawed because I was identified as a ‘red list’ country but I was able to travel to Dublin and board a flight there with people from the ‘green list’… what the hell is that all about?”
Dan alleges staff, including Border Force staff, had “no comprehension” of cross contamination when handling passports and claims some were not wearing their masks.
He said he refused to enter into the waiting area for the coach pick-up at Heathrow Airport “because it was an enclosed space so it was a mixture of [red list] arrivals going into one room”.
The food Dan received at the quarantine hotel
“I was expected to mix with people from all over the globe,” he added.
The 48-year-old also claims coach drivers and G4S security staff were not wearing masks. A G4S spokesperson said all staff members are “expected to adhere to guidelines on the use of face masks and social distancing”.
G4S is a ‘security service company’. Private security companies have been hired by the government to ensure hotel guests observe quarantine rules.
Dan said: “Staff walk up and down the coach with the same pen and same piece of paper to write [passengers’] names and the hotel they’re going to. Do they have no idea what cross contamination is?”
A government spokesperson said: “Our top priority has always been protecting the public and the robust border and testing regime we have in place is helping minimise the risk of new variants coming into the UK.
“Guests should raise any issues directly with a hotel in the first instance, and we expect them to do their utmost to address those concerns.”
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A spokesperson for DoubleTree Hilton hotel said: “The hotel has been selected as a quarantine site by government as part of the initiative to stop the virus from spreading to our local community.
“Since the site has been operational with the support from local authorities including NHS, EHO [Environmental Health Officer] and DHSC [the Department for Health and Social Care] the hotel has followed every protocol set to operate as a critical control point to support the initiative led by government.”
A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said: “A multi-layered array of Covid-secure measures are in place at the airport to keep our passengers and colleagues safe, including mandatory negative Covid tests for all international arrivals, mandatory wearing of face coverings, social distancing where possible, and enhanced cleaning regimes and ventilation in immigration halls.
“Government security contractors manage the hotel quarantine process, including the transportation of passengers from the airport to their hotel.”
A G4S spokesperson said: “Safety is our top priority and both staff and quarantined travellers are expected to adhere to guidelines on the use of face masks and social distancing.
“We continue to reinforce this message daily, and we are proud of the role they play in the national response to the pandemic at quarantine hotels across the country.”
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