Can British tourists skip hotel quarantine when returning from South Africa?

Simon Calder answers your questions on red list restrictions, quarantine rules and alternative ideas to visiting South Africa

UK tourists will not be able to enjoy Cape Town until omicron is under control (Getty)

Q I am a British traveller in South Africa. I want to come home but hotel quarantine is a ridiculous cost, especially when we can equally self-isolate at home. Do you think self-isolation at home might be announced in the next review. Or can you come up with any other ideas?

Name supplied

A Experience during the coronavirus pandemic shows that the government is quick to impose drastic travel industry but slow to moderate or remove them. While other nations are replacing hotel quarantine with closely supervised self-isolation at home, the UK is in no hurry to follow suit. Indeed, the addition of Nigeria to the red list this week suggests the government believes that confining arrivals to a hotel room is a valuable strategy in dealing with the omicron variant of Covid-19.

Also, the official date for the next planned review of travel restrictions is moving further away: it was initially announced for 18 December, but that has changed to 20 December and, on Monday morning, a minister hinted it was three weeks away – taking us to 27 December. While I would like to think the government will demonstrate some agility in removing or easing restrictions swiftly as more is known, I hold out little hope.

Instead, I suggest you consider a stop in Egypt on your way back. From Johannesburg, an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Cairo via Addis Ababa costs about £300. For admission to Egypt, the Foreign Office says NHS proof of vaccination is acceptable in lieu of a test. It adds: “Passengers arriving from countries where Covid-19 variants of concern have been identified may be required to undertake a rapid Covid-19 test on arrival, which if positive will lead to a subsequent PCR test to determine if isolation at a government hospital is necessary.

Once in Egypt, assuming you are negative, you could visit the Pyramids, the antiquities of the Nile or the Red Sea tourist resorts around Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh – which have inexpensive budget flights to the UK. On 21 December, for example, easyJet has a flight from Hurghada to Gatwick for just £43.

You must spend 10 full days away from red list countries to avoid hotel quarantine. After that, you must follow normal rules for travel to the UK – with a pre-departure test, a post-arrival PCR and a completed passenger locator form.

Overall, the total cost of an Egyptian diversion will be far lower than the price of hotel quarantine, and you should have a much better experience – though I cannot guarantee that Egypt will avoid being next for red listing.

For fully vaccinated travellers and children, isolation is required until a negative result is received from the mandatory post-arrival PCR test (AFP/Getty)

Q If my husband is exempt from self-isolation on arrival to the UK due to his job, is this just for him or can the whole household benefit?

Name withheld

A Almost all travellers to the UK from every foreign country except Ireland must self-isolate. For fully vaccinated travellers and children, isolation is required until a negative result is received from the mandatory post-arrival PCR test. Unvaccinated arrivals must quarantine for 10 full days (or, if they live in England and “test to release”, for five days).

The list of exemptions is long, ranging from aerospace engineers to water workers. Some occupations, such as ships’ crew, truck drivers or in-flight security officers (“sky marshalls”), are exempt because international travel is part of the job. Others, unconnected with international travel, gain exemption because their jobs are regarded as indispensable. Examples include “workers engaged in essential or emergency works” for the Environment Agency or Network Rail.

In some circumstances, even arrivals from “red list” countries are exempt, typically “where the work is sufficiently urgent and critical that undertaking a managed quarantine period is not possible”. This is decided on a case-by-case basis. But the exemption generally only applies when they are actively carrying out their work. They are told: “You can leave your accommodation when conducting the specific exempt activity or travelling directly to and from your accommodation and a location for the purposes of this work. You must quarantine at all other times.“

Consequently, other household members who do not have the same exemption cannot benefit. So even fully vaccinated travellers will need to self-isolate between arrival and the receipt of a negative result from the PCR test that is required on the day of arrival or one of the two following days. In addition, your husband must comply with the pre-departure and post-arrival testing rules.

Wish you were here? Maspalomas beach on Gran Canaria (Getty)

Q I was due to travel to South Africa on 15 December but it now looks as though that will be impossible because of the omicron variant and the resulting “red list” hotel quarantine status. I’m still desperate to get away, though, and I was wondering about Greece. What do you think?

Stu W

A I wouldn’t give up yet on the chances of South Africa opening up – or rather, the UK and the rest of Europe softening its hardline stance on arrivals from the republic and its neighbours.

Ten days is a long time in the coronavirus era. As more becomes known about omicron, in particular the harm it causes and the original source of the variant, there is a chance that southern Africa will be cleared for travel. I very much hope that is the case for the sake of the millions who, directly or indirectly, depend on incoming tourism for their livelihoods. There is even a potential bonus for those who are able to be patient: with, regrettably, so many Europeans cancelling, were South Africa to open up in time for Christmas you could enjoy the festive season without the usual crowds.

However, as the next UK government review is not due until 18 December, the chances of a change before your departure date are slim. So let’s look at the alternatives. Athens would be a fairly lively place to spend time – with no queues for the top sights during December. Yet I would be tempted to get three degrees closer to the equator and head for Crete (Athens: 38 degrees north; Heraklion, the island’s capital, 35).

Better still, though, can I tempt you with the Canary Islands? Normally flights to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote are rammed in the build up to Christmas. But you might find that with the effective ban on 12 to 15-year-olds who have not been doubly vaccinated there is a fair amount of availability. And from Newcastle, the resort of Maspalomas on Gran Canaria is halfway to the equator.

Email your questions to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder