Red list leaves travellers from SA treated like plague carriers, but India gets away with it

Huge trade volume between the United Kingdom (UK) and India could be at the core of the UK’s decision to unban travel from India – despite India presenting much higher Covid numbers compared to South Africa, which has been
placed on the red list.

Commenting on the continued UK travel ban – which has seen people returning from trips in South Africa being treated harshly during quarantine – leading economist Mike Schussler on Wednesday described the sanction as “disappointing”.

He said: “I don’t think they should ban us. Our vaccination drive has done well, although we have not vaccinated as many people as Australia. We can pride ourselves as having a younger population, with kids not much of a problem.”

Schussler said the UK has unbanned Indian travel because “they have a much bigger economy than ours and there are much more people travelling to India”.

“We are probably not that important to the UK, but the main thing is that we have family ties with the UK – part of the Commonwealth, with many South Africans tracing their heritage back in that country,” added Schussler.

“The UK has been a big tourist market for us.

“They have been among top four European countries visiting us – these including Germany and the US, contributing 2.7% of our gross domestic product. We have been a long-distance destination for Europe and America.”

Schussler’s comments came as a woman, who did not wish to be named, arrived back in the UK from a trip in South Africa to attend a burial of her brother in Gauteng, described her ordeal upon her return – “to be placed in a UK
prison-like type of quarantine reserved for those returning from South Africa”.

Relating her daughter’s anguish in a UK quarantine, Pat Pretorius told The Citizen of regretting her visit to South Africa.

“Had I known what awaited her in the UK upon return, I would have told her not to come here. I did not know she was coming to South Africa for my son’s funeral,” said Pretorius.

Serving a 10-day mandatory quarantine at the Ramada hotel in Hounslow, ending on Monday, Pretorius’ daughter – in a telephone call to her mother – described harsh treatment by British authorities and being placed “in a prison-like type quarantine”.

It all began when her daughter flew out from UK last week to be with her family during bereavement. “Getting here was hardly a problem,” said Pretorius.

“She is a social worker and has had about nine PCR [polymerase chain reaction] and LFT [lateral flow] tests for Covid – all negative. She is double vaccinated.”

She said when her daughter returned to the UK last week, she had to have another PCR test done, with a hardcopy certificate produced.

“Upon landing at Heathrow Airport, all people who had come from South Africa were herded into queues and put on to buses – ferried to hotels in which they were to be quarantined.

“Her friend went to the Radisson near Gatwick and my daughter went to the Ramada in Hounslow – all done without an explanation,” said Pretorius.

“Her room is adequate but she is treated like a prisoner. Her meals are delivered in a brown paper bag dropped outside her door.”

She said her daughter can go out and walk around the small car park which houses overflowing, smelly dustbins.

“When she wants to exercise, she has to call security and a female guard comes to her room,” said Pretorius.

“Then, she has to sign out with the guard at the end of the corridor and then is closely watched as she walks around the car park.

“On day two, she had another Covid test done and will have another test on day eight.”

Pretorius said she could not understand why the UK was determined to keep South Africa on the red list.

“What makes me so cross is that the UK has allowed all Indians – who introduced the delta variant – to come in and out without impunity, with far more cases than us.

“On the day that South Africa had about 8 000 cases, I Googled India’s number and they had 122 000 cases. On querying this and why India was off the red list, UK Minister of Transport Grant Schapps gave a very vague reply – maintaining that India had vaccinated more people than South Africa,” Pretorius said.

The UK High Commission in South Africa was not ready to comment.

– brians@citizen.co.za