‘Cold cauliflower is not to be recommended’ – teacher says hotel quarantine ‘degrading’

A woman in mandatory hotel quarantine has said that she didn’t realise how degrading the process was going to be.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One Liveline today, Katherine, a teacher, recently arrived back from South Africa after visiting her mother with dementia.

All travellers arriving from South Africa have to take part in a mandatory hotel quarantine, with Katherine having to book a stay in the Crowne Plaza Hotel for nearly €1,900.

She explained that she felt it was necessary to travel to see her mother considering she had recently fallen, and her health was deteriorating.

“My brother kind of felt she was just disappearing on us, you know the mother that we know,” she said. “So I made the very difficult decision to go over because I just felt I had to see her because you know, I didn’t know what was going to happen to her in the future.

“And I felt I had an opportunity to go because of the school holidays, and I went to see her, and I don’t regret going to see her, because I know it made a big difference.

“But now I’m stuck in a horrible situation, which I knew was possibly going to happen, but I didn’t realise it was going to be so degrading.”

The woman is among a number of people who have spoken out about the conditions they face in Ireland’s mandatory hotel quarantine system for returnees from Covid hotspot countries, with concerns about space for families, freedom to exercise and the hotel food.

Katherine discussed some of her conditions since arriving back in Ireland, saying that she was forced to wait behind in the airplane upon arrival alongside some other passengers. They were then made to wait together in a room for two hours, before proceeding to immigration.

“After about five hours, I only got to my hotel room,” she said, explaining that once in the hotel: “You’re allowed your breaks, your 15 minute breaks.”

“Sometimes they’re shorter and I complained one day because it wasn’t the full 15 minutes.

“You’re referred to by your room number, you’re not a person. I repeatedly tell them my name just so they know I’m not ‘room whatever it is’.

“It’s horrible. Really, really unpleasant experience being here, being trapped and not having any kind of freedom of any kind, and missing my family. It’s not good, in any way to be honest.”

Katherine said she has also had problems with the food, saying that she knew requesting a gluten-free diet would make it a bit more challenging at times.

“Generally the food has been okay,” she said. “It kind of comes in plastic things, it’s a bit like airplane food, so it’s not great.”

“But the breakfast I got two days ago was two rashers, cauliflower, one piece of broccoli and a red paper, and that was my breakfast - and it was cold… Cold cauliflower is not to be recommended.”

In response to questions from independent.ie, the Department of Health said it was “in constant contact with Tifco Hotel Group about all issues relating to the management of mandatory hotel quarantine.”

The department added: “At all times, our priority is to ensure that everyone completing their period of mandatory quarantine is comfortable and secure.

“The Department and Tifco continue to work together to ensure this is the case.”

So far, ten people of the more than 400 people who have been quarantined have tested positive for coronavirus.

Irish Independent