'Prisoners are entitled to more liberty': Legal challenge over quarantine hotel policy
12 August 2021, 00:04 | Updated: 12 August 2021, 00:09
A law firm representing travellers affected by the UK's quarantine hotel policy has described the requirement as an "unlawful deprivation of liberty" as it seeks a judicial review.
London-based PGMBM believes requiring people who are fully vaccinated and have recently tested negative for coronavirus to spend 11 nights in a hotel violates their human rights and is an "unlawful deprivation of liberty".
The law firm said "prisoners are entitled to more liberty" than those forced to quarantine in hotels.
It comes after the cost of staying in a quarantine hotel rose from £1,750 to £2,285 on Thursday.
Travellers arriving in the UK from a red list country - such as Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey, and much of South America - must enter a quarantine hotel, even if they have had both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Read more: Changes unveiled to foreign travel traffic light system - full list
Read more: 'I caught Covid in quarantine system', British woman tells LBC
There are currently 60 locations on the red list following the government's latest update to its international travel rules.
PGMBM managing partner Tom Goodhead said: "Mandatory hotel quarantine is a fundamental breach of human rights. It has led to the false imprisonment of people who are fully vaccinated and have tested negative.
"Prisoners are entitled to more liberty than those forced to quarantine in hotels.
"We have all read about the horrific experiences of some of the people in these hotels. We want to see this draconian policy scrapped and those affected to be properly compensated."
'I caught Covid in quarantine'
Mr Goodhead said Ireland and Norway - the only other European countries with mandatory quarantine "involving detention" - have amended their schemes so fully vaccinated travellers are exempt.
"The UK must follow suit immediately," he added.
PGMBM would not disclose the identities of its clients in relation to the legal challenge - but said they include people in the UK who want to visit family in a red list country, and others who have already stayed in one of the hotels.
"They are often travelling for emergency or urgent reasons and would not be travelling unless they felt it was absolutely necessary," explained Mr Goodhead.
There have been multiple complaints about the hotels, including over harassment of female guests by male security guards, and the quality of food.
PGMBM has written a letter to the government over the quarantine hotel policy, and said it is seeking a judicial review.
It wrote that the current regulations are "not proportionate" and "not necessary".
Nurse reunited with family arriving from US as quarantine-free travel begins
Seven countries were added to the government's green travel list on Sunday, with France also dropping its confusing "amber watchlist" status.
Read more: Fully-vaccinated arrivals from France no longer have to isolate as travel rules change
The step aligns France with the rest of the amber list, where those who are fully vaccinated with a vaccine authorised and administered in the UK, US or Europe, do not need to quarantine when arriving in England.
Georgia, Mexico, La Reunion and Mayotte were all added to the red list to safeguard domestic vaccine rollout, the government said.
The changes to the international travel rules for those returning to the UK come after the government waived quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers from the US and much of Europe.
Hundreds of families have been able to reunite after many months apart following the changes.
