According to a report, only two percent of travelers staying in government quarantine hotels worth £385m tested positive for COVID-19.
Arrivals from 33 ‘red list’ countries had to pay £1,750 to stay in self-isolation for ten days in a designated hotel.
But the managed quarantine service, including hotel, security, transport and testing, cost £757m between February and December 2021.
At that time, the Court of Accounts found only one of the 50 quarantined guests positive.
The National Court of Accounts decided that 98 percent of passengers in hotels tested negative for Covid (archive photo)
£428m was recovered from passenger taxes, leaving a net cost of £329m to taxpayers.
Payment of additional border force personnel, the passenger tracking form system and tracking costs added an additional £157m to the bill.
Just £3m was collected in passenger fines, costing taxpayers a total of £483m.
“As the government has to react quickly to developments in Covid, taxpayers will question the extent of the money being wasted,” said John O’Connell of the TaxPayers’ Alliance.
“The government has never been able to check the numbers and whether the border measures are working effectively,” said Labor MP Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the municipal Public Accounts Committee.
Gareth Davies of the NCA agreed that ministers must weigh “many conflicting objectives in border management”.
A government spokesperson said the measures “gain vital time for our internal response to the new variants”.
Source: Daily Mail
I am Anne Johnson and I work as an author at the Fashion Vibes. My main area of expertise is beauty related news, but I also have experience in covering other types of stories like entertainment, lifestyle, and health topics. With my years of experience in writing for various publications, I have built strong relationships with many industry insiders. My passion for journalism has enabled me to stay on top of the latest trends and changes in the world of beauty.
