London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Covid-19: How England's hotel quarantine will differ from Australia's

Covid-19: How England's hotel quarantine will differ from Australia's

England's rules on quarantine hotels for travellers arriving from Covid "red list" countries are less stringent than those enforced in Australia.

The BBC has seen a copy of the government's official requirements for hotel operators ahead of the policy starting on Monday.

It spells out the rules for handling travellers for 11 nights of quarantine.

The UK government said its hotel quarantine measures were "in line with those in other countries".

And it promised to update guidance for hotels "imminently".

Australia's system, introduced early last year, is seen as among the best internationally.

But as a result of repeated outbreaks among staff and guests, and the arrival of new variants, the rules in Australia have been tightened and are under review again.

It comes as the Australian state of Victoria enters a five-day "circuit breaker" lockdown in a bid to suppress an outbreak linked to its hotel quarantine system.

UK Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said the system being introduced was "very strong" and its "standards are amongst the strongest in the world".

"We keep these measures under review," she added.

Going outside


In Australia, people staying in quarantine hotels are not allowed to leave their rooms.

This follows incidents in the early months of the pandemic when security guards and hotel guests were seen to mingle, and were blamed for spreading the virus.

One of these outbreaks led to a surge in cases that forced Melbourne into a five-month lockdown.

A hotel quarantine worker tested positive for coronavirus in Melbourne recently
However the authorities in England have issued a conflicting array of messages about policy on this, with No 10 and the Department of Health and Social Care forced to issue several clarifications.

The upshot is that travellers will be allowed out of their rooms for a limited set of exemptions, including exercise.

Smoking, which at one stage had been described as a legitimate reason for going outside, will not qualify.

In New Zealand, smoking breaks are allowed, under escort, but with strict guidance not to get close to anyone else.

Meal delivery times


Policy on this changed in Australia after the risks of meal service became apparent.

A woman from Singapore who tested negative during most of her stay became infected with the same variant of coronavirus found in a family of five from Nigeria in the room opposite.

There's no definitive explanation for how she caught the virus but one suggestion is that the doors of both rooms were opened at the same time to collect meals.

Officials say the viral load in the air in the family's room - with all five of them being infected - could have meant that the virus was carried through the air across the corridor.

It's one reason why hotel staff now deliver meals at staggered times to avoid everyone opening their doors at the same time.

The UK guidance states that room service will be "undertaken in full compliance of Covid-19 prevention best practice".

The government said meals would be served three times per day, but did not comment on specific timings.

Protection for hotel staff


There is growing evidence of the risks of the virus being transmitted through the air either between rooms or between rooms and public areas such as corridors.

A security guard who spent the day on duty in a corridor caught the virus despite having no contact with anyone.

A widely-held assumption is that infectious aerosols had accumulated in the air in this poorly-ventilated space and had led to his infection.

In the state of Victoria, hotel staff now have to be equipped with a type of mask known as an N95, roughly equivalent to what is called an FFP2 in the UK.

By contrast, the document issued to UK hotels spells out that standard surgical masks must be worn - these are thinner and are thought to be less effective at blocking aerosols.

It also says that if emergency maintenance is needed before a room has been disinfected and left vacant for 72 hours, staff should wear PPE that is "consistent with droplet precautions".

Droplets are produced by coughs and heavy exhalations and are generally judged to be a risk over a distance of up to two metres.

There is no specific guidance on the protection needed to guard against aerosols that can linger in the air.

Prof Nancy Baxter, of the University of Melbourne, is among scientists pushing for hotel staff to be better equipped.

"I truly believe that if you're putting workers in harm's way, which essentially you are, by putting them in a quarantine hotel, and exposing them to people potentially with Covid-19, that there's a duty of care that those people have the highest possible protection from infection."

Testing for hotel staff


Following infections among hotel staff in Australia, and amid fears of the new variants, all employees are tested for coronavirus every day.

That includes days off, with a requirement that staff are paid for those days.

However, the UK document does not suggest any provision for regular testing.

England's Department of Health said plans for a "bespoke service" for staff testing were being developed but it could not confirm whether it would be ready for the start of the policy on Monday.

The government added that all staff working in England's quarantine hotels would be provided with regular testing and appropriate personal protective equipment.

A government spokesperson said: "We have taken decisive action at the border and every essential check from pre-departure testing, to the passenger locator form and the suspension of travel routes strengthens our borders and prevents the spread coronavirus into the UK."

Ministers have said they have "shared expertise" with the Australian government about quarantine, but questions will be raised about whether the lessons learned are being followed.


See inside a five-star quarantine hotel


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×