Minister defends England's softer hotel quarantine rules

English system less stringent than Australia’s, letting travellers outside and not testing staff regularly

A government minister has defended the rules in England on quarantine hotels for arrivals from high-risk countries, after it emerged they are less stringent than those in Australia.

Some reports said that the English system, which comes into effect on Monday, would allow quarantined travellers to go outside for air or a cigarette if accompanied by a member of staff.

However, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said outings for cigarettes would not be permitted, and those in quarantine would be allowed, at most, once chance a day to exercise in hotel grounds, and only if these were suitable and if other Covid-security measures were in place.

This is still unlike in the Australian model, which was introduced early last year, and where those quarantining have to stay in the hotel room. Even with its stricter rules, Australia has experienced outbreaks of Covid-19 among staff at quarantine hotels and their family members.

Asked why people were to be allowed out of their rooms in quarantine hotels despite concerns that it could facilitate the spread of coronavirus, the Home Office minister Victoria Atkins told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Apart from anything else we know that being outside is less likely to transmit than being inside. But I think allowing someone to go for fresh air during a 10-day visit in a hotel with all the very strict measures that we have, I think, is reasonable.”

A document detailing the UK government’s official requirements for hotel operators, seen by the BBC, showed the rules to be weaker than Australia in other aspects as well. Security guards and hotel staff will not be tested regularly – in Australia they are paid to take a test daily – nor will guards be given a higher-specification mask, unlike in Australia.The BBC reported that the UK government document simply stated that if staff tested positive or showed Covid symptoms, “they must be advised to stay home and not to report to work”. It also said standard surgical masks must be worn. However, these are thinner and are thought to be less effective at blocking aerosols than N95 masks, roughly equivalent to what is called an FFP2 in the UK, which are specified for use in the Australian state of Victoria.

However, the DHSC has disputed the BBC report, saying the document was not current. The guidance says that aside from emergencies such as fire, people could leave to exercise “but only with special permission from hotel staff or security – this is not guaranteed”.

An official said that exercise would be allowed only if the hotel grounds made it possible, corridors and other communal spaces were well ventilated, and there were enough staff. It would only happen once a day, in line with general lockdown rules, they said.

The rules had been drawn up with Public Health England, and each hotel would get a detailed guide on how to manage exercise, with staff offered regular tests, the official added.

Despite its tougher rules, Australia has continued to experience outbreaks at quarantine hotels. An inquiry heard in August last year that 99% of cases in Victoria were linked to quarantine hotels. On Friday, the state announced a snap five-day “circuit breaker” lockdown, after an outbreak at a Holiday Inn hotel in Melbourne housing quarantined travellers.

Prof Michael Toole, an epidemiologist at the Burnet Institute in Australia, told the Today programme: “All our preventive measures have focused on preventing spread by these large droplets. Keeping people in their room, wearing surgical masks and using hand sanitiser prevents that, it does not prevent airborne transmission. So we’ve had cases where a guest who is infected opened their door and, with positive pressure, this kind of fog of virus went out into the corridor, travelled down and infected hotel staff.”

source: Haroon Siddique

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