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‘Heatbroken’ families forced to spend Xmas apart over cost of quarantine hotels
Families have been left “heartbroken” after being forced to cancel Christmas plans over the cost of the UK’s quarantine hotels.
Colin Doney, a teacher from Northampton, had to cancel his flight home from Malawi due to the £2,285-cost of the 10-day quarantine required for travellers from red list countries.
His 77-year-old mother, who suffers from severe osteoarthritis, now faces spending Christmas Day alone after his father died last year.
“My flights were booked to return home to be with mum but the quarantine stipulations have made it too costly,” Mr Doney, 52, told the PA news agency.
“I’m upset that I won’t be home, mostly because mum will be alone for the day.”
Mr Doney has been teaching at a school in Malawi for almost two years but said it would cost more than a quarter of his annual wage to fly home for the festive period.
His father was diagnosed with cancer in January 2020 then “died alone in hospital” due to Covid restrictions five months later, something the family are “still angry about”.
He said his mother is sad that plans for the day will not go ahead, but the family had been “prepared for the worst” amid news of the Omicron variant.
“Infection numbers here in Malawi are low and we’re double vaccinated,” Mr Doney added.
