Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hotel quarantine: British Indians returning to UK face financial difficulties

Hotel quarantine: British Indians returning to UK face financial difficulties

BRITISH INDIANS who have travelled to India in recent weeks have spoken of the financial difficulties they face returning to the UK, as some find themselves unable to pay for quarantine fees.

Due to the growing number of cases of coronavirus in India and more than 130 cases of the Indian coronavirus variant being registered in the UK, the government added the country to its travel ban red list last month.


Those returning from India are now required to quarantine in a government-approved hotel.

Hotel quarantine costs £1,750 for one adult for 10 days. An extra adult or child over 11 in the same room is £650, and a child aged 5-11 is £325.

Due to the cost of hotel quarantine and increased flight prices, many British Asians have been left stranded with no way to get home.

Jayashree (Tina) Patel, from Wembley in north London, travelled to Ahmedabad after her younger brother Varun died from a heart attack on March 16. The beautician booked a return ticket to come back to the UK on April 30.

However, her flights were cancelled after India was added to England’s red list. The ticket booking agent has rebooked the journey for Saturday (8).

Patel, who lost her job as beauty salons have been closed since last year due to coronavirus, is considering how to return to the UK. She will have to pay a surcharge as her ticket has changed, as well as an additional £1,750 for 10 days of hotel quarantine and £300 for Covid-19 testing.

“I don’t have a job and I am now burdened with an extra £2,000,” she told Eastern Eye.

“(When my brother died), I had to borrow money from friends and acquaintances to go to India.”

Others have raised concerns on how the quarantine could potentially affect their employment in the UK.

DP British Indians Manish Barot Manish Barot

Fellow Londoner Manish Barot travelled to India recently, following the death of his father.

Barot was due to stay for four weeks and will return on May 15. On his return, he will have to isolate in a hotel - just 20-25 miles away from his family home in London.

Barot, a senior trading manager at Asda, has concerns on how the quarantine will affect his job.

“If I cannot go to work due to quarantine, I will not be able to claim leave pay,” he told Eastern Eye.

“As I’m handling the third rank responsibility in the superstore, the store management will also be affected in handling sales planning, staff holiday booking, day to day work, staff sick leave and other arrangements.”

Paresh Jadhav, from London, is in a similar predicament. He returned to India after his father passed away on April 13. Jadhav booked his return ticket for May 10 – but now has concerns on the cost of quarantine.

“If I quarantine, my firm can deduct my salary as there is no holiday left,” he explained. “But if I stay in India longer, there may be risks ranging from higher pay cuts to job loss.”

He added: “I’ve lost my father and now I must bear the new risk of incurring an additional £3,000 cost (for quarantine). But if I’m not home, there is a lot of extra responsibility on my wife Kinjal who is working full-time and also looking after our child.”

In response to Eastern Eye, a government spokesperson referred to a Department for Transport press notice on red listing which said: “British nationals currently in countries on the red list should make use of the commercial options available if they wish to return to England.

Commercial routes that will enable British and Irish nationals and residents to return to England continue to operate.”

If an individual is abroad and needs emergency help from the UK government, they should contact the nearest British embassy, consulate or high commission.

For more information on travel in India, see: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india

More For You

Starmer

Starmer, who has faced negative coverage since taking office in July 2024, defended the appointment process.

Reuters

Starmer: I would not have appointed Mandelson if aware of Epstein ties

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer said on Monday he would not have appointed Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington had he known the extent of his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This was Starmer’s first public statement since dismissing Mandelson last week. The prime minister is facing questions over his judgement, including from Labour MPs, after initially standing by Mandelson before removing him from the post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for 'terrible crimes,' including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.

Getty Images

Trump says accused in Dallas motel beheading will face first-degree murder charge

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has described Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, the Indian-origin motel manager killed in Dallas, as a “well-respected person” and said the accused will face a first-degree murder charge.

Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed last week at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal history.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer Mandelson

Starmer talks with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty

Starmer under pressure from party MPs after Mandelson dismissal

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is facing questions within the Labour party after the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Mandelson was removed last week after Bloomberg published emails showing messages of support he sent following Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. The dismissal comes just ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

Officials greet newly-elected Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government Sushila Karki (R) as she arrives at the prime minister's office in Kathmandu on September 14, 2025. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

NEPAL’s new interim prime minister Sushila Karki on Sunday (14) pledged to act on protesters’ calls to end corruption and restore trust in government, as the country struggles with the aftermath of its worst political unrest in decades.

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her first address to the nation since taking office on Friday (12). “What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality. We will not stay here more than six months in any situation. We will complete our responsibilities and hand over to the next parliament and ministers.”

Keep ReadingShow less
UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer arrive at Trump International Golf Links on July 28, 2025 in Balmedie, Scotland. (Photo by Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

THE British government has announced over £1.25 billion ($1.69bn) in fresh investment from major US financial firms, including PayPal, Bank of America, Citigroup and S&P Global, ahead of a state visit by president Donald Trump.

The investment is expected to create 1,800 jobs across London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester, and deepen transatlantic financial ties, the Department for Business and Trade said.

Keep ReadingShow less