A Londoner has spoken out about his ‘nightmare’ experience quarantining in a government approved covid hotel.
Kipper Herring has complained about the “vile” conditions in his Heathrow hotel where he is isolating for ten days after returning from a red list country.
The 34-year-old returned to the UK on Monday, 5 July to be with family and friends after his marriage broke down in South Africa.
However, due to current COVID-19 regulations, he has had to isolate at the Radisson Red hotel, which costs a total of £1750 for the ten-day isolation period.
Mr Herring, from Twickenham Green, said from the moment he landed in Heathrow passengers were treated like “lepers”.
“I was on a plane from a red zone country, South Africa, then got on a plane from an amber zone country, France, and by the time I got to Heathrow everyone was just mingling anyway,” he said.
Later, when he arrived at the hotel, he said the conditions did not improve.
The former restaurant owner complained about the quality of the meals, which are delivered in containers to the guests’ doors.
“The sausage and mash I wouldn’t even feed to my dog. I ended up ordering from the children’s menu – chicken nuggets and chips. If they think that’s acceptable for children it’s sickening,” he said.
Mr Herring also said that 40 minutes of allocated time outside left him feeling “caged.”
“We spend 23 hours and 20 minutes being locked in our rooms. That's less than prisoners in solitary.
“I'm becoming increasingly more agitated being in here. This is bad especially if someone has any form of mental issues,” he added.
Radisson Red said that the hotel endeavours to comply with COVID-19 regulations, as outlined by the government.
A spokesperson said: “We take our role in assisting the UK government with its hotel quarantine programme very seriously - to help provide a safe and comfortable experience for traveller’s. We work with the Department for Health and Social Care and their representatives to provide this service based on the specifications and costs set by the government.
“All guests receive food deliveries and water supplies daily, as per the specifications set by the government. The services include providing three meals for guests based on set nutritional/dietary standards that also cater to religious requirements. The food menus are revised on a weekly basis.
"To the extent possible, we implement our guests’ feedback on the menus to ensure it is satisfactory for all our guests.”
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