Coronavirus in the United Kingdom: an institute points to the mismanagement of travelers by the government

In the corridors of the London Underground, January 27, 2022 (illustrative image).

AP - Matt Dunham

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Bad practices, lack of control: in the United Kingdom, the National Audit Institute (NAO) denounces the government's management of travelers during the Covid-19 crisis.

For much of 2021, a hotel quarantine system has been in place.

At a high cost to the UK taxpayer. 

Advertisement

Read more

With our correspondent in London,

Émeline Vin

Nearly £400m of public money (about €500m) has been spent to cover the costs of quarantine at the hotel.

Half of the total cost of the disposal.

Among the outstanding payments that the government had to cover instead of travelers: rooms, screening tests, for 75 million pounds.

Another practice: travelers disputed the charges

via

their bank, a “fraudulent” practice according to the National Audit Institute (NAO).

Effectiveness not proven 

The Institute, by the way, believes that the effectiveness of the hotel quarantine policy has not been proven.

Of the 214,000 passengers from “at risk” countries, only 2% contracted Covid-19 during their eleven-day stay at the hotel.

 Learning lessons 

” 

The Institute is also critical of controlling home quarantines for the rest of the passengers.

Despite the cost of the checks - over £100m - a third of travelers may have breached the requirement, with no consequences.

in its report, the NAO calls on the government to “

learn lessons

 ” from the pandemic for possible future travel restrictions. 

To read also: "Partygate": Boris Johnson renews his apologies to the British Parliament

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_EN

  • UK

  • Coronavirus

  • Health and medicine

  • finance