Richard E Grant questions ‘confounding’ quarantine bill

RICHARD E GRANT has said he was left “confounded” after being stuck in a quarantine hotel charging more than twice as much as a similar alternative nearby.

The Withnail and I actor said he had been visiting his 90-year-old mother in southern Africa when he was caught out by the change in latest travel restrictions.

Speaking in a video on Twitter, Grant said: “I went to southern Africa to visit my 90-year-old mother and got caught by the red-region Covid restrictions.

“It took over a week and many cancelled flights to finally get home, for which I am incredibly grateful.

“I understand that there are security costs in the hotel and you’ve got to pay for two Covid tests, but £228 a day to receive three meals a day of this very poor standard, in a supposed 4-star Holiday Inn hotel, beggars belief.”

Grant said his meals, which included a pre-packaged tuna and cucumber sandwich, a sausage casserole and fish and chips, would cost less than £20 to buy elsewhere.

A nearby Holiday Inn not being used as a quarantine hotel costs just £89 per night, including breakfast.

Saying he was “confounded” at the disparity, Grant added: “How does gov [government] justify this cost to a traveller for ‘hospitality’... feels punishing!”

Grant, who lives in London, was born in the southern African nation of Swaziland, now Eswatini, which was added to the Government’s travel red list on Nov 26 owing to concerns about the omicron variant.

The red list also currently includes Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia,

£2,285

The cost arrivals from red-list countries, such as South Africa and Zambia, can face for a 10-day hotel quarantine

South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Arrivals who have visited a red-list country in the previous 10 days are required to stay in a quarantine hotel for 10 days, at a cost of up to £2,285.

A government spokesman said: “The measures we have in place are minimising the risk of variants coming into the UK and safeguarding the hard-won progress of our vaccination programme.

“The majority of passengers who have used the service have been satisfied.”