Members of Dundee’s Pakistani community are backing nationwide calls for travel rules for those arriving from the country to be relaxed.
Anyone coming to the UK from Pakistan has to go into hotel quarantine at a cost of hundreds of pounds, because the country is on the travel red list.
It has been that way since April – but many families want to see Pakistan given amber status so they can travel to see relatives more easily.
Beenie Islam from Emmock Woods went to Pakistan in March and had only planned to stay for four weeks.
People ‘returning to UK using amber countries’
He travelled knowing the rules could change – but admits he did not expect the country to remain on the red list for so long.
He said: “Many thought it was guaranteed that Pakistan was going to be removed from the red list and I was amazed it wasn’t changed.
“To see there was no change in the restrictions was a massive disappointment.
“There are other people who have been coming home by travelling from red list countries to amber list countries then on to the UK but that is extremely costly – and you do start to question how worthwhile the hotel quarantining process is.”
Beenie has now decided to fly back to the UK and will quarantine in a hotel in London.
He said: “After countless phone calls to the UK Government I’ve managed to arrange a payment plan to pay the hotel quarantine.
“I’ve been away for several months and I couldn’t wait any longer on coming back.
“Many people have been priced out of returning home. As soon as the red list status went in place the prices for flights back to the UK skyrocketed.
Petition calling for change to travel rules
“Seeing first-hand how strict Pakistan are taking the Covid-19 situation, I’ve been surprised that its status hasn’t changed to amber at the least.”
A UK-wide petition was launched earlier this year calling for Pakistan to be removed from the red list – and has so far attracted 133,000 signatures.
Bashir Chohan, chairman of Dundee Islamic Society, is among those to have signed it.
He said: “For many it has been hard to justify the length of time these restrictions have remained in place.
“Financially, for people with a young family trying to return to Dundee, it has been difficult given the swelling costs that they would incur.”
Others are also hoping for the rules to be relaxed, to allow them to see loved ones again.
Kamran Sattar from Fintry says the situation has been a “nightmare”.
He said: “It has been difficult for families who have people that are stuck there, especially when things have been returning to some sort of normality in the UK.
“We have cousins who are in the same situation – they can’t get back at the moment.
“People were only planning on staying there for a holiday for two to three weeks and now they’ve been out there for months it has been a nightmare.
“The big problem for many is the swelling costs of staying at a hotel upon their return, especially if they have young families.”
‘We’ve been sending money’
Niaz Mohammad from the Hilltown is another who hopes that the rules will change soon.
The 37-year-old said: “For many people they are seeing the number of cases in Pakistan currently and are finding it hard to justify the red travel status.
“I know at least four families that can’t get back at the moment. We’ve been sending money just to help family members who can’t get back.
“People have jobs in Dundee and have not been able to work for months now.
“There is just a feeling of unrest about the red list status and the length of time it has been in place.”
Scottish Government
A spokesman for the Scottish Government says it is possible for people to avoid by travelling via amber list countries – but only if they have a 10-day stopover in that country first.
He said: “We have been clear throughout that countries can change in risk rating without much warning in light of new evidence and analysis, and that everyone should think carefully if travel is really necessary.
“Just because a country is amber when you go there is no guarantee it won’t turn red while you are away.
“If someone arrives from an amber or green country and doesn’t declare they have been in a red list country in the 10 days prior, they are committing an offence.
“Enforcement is a matter for Border Force.”
UK Government
A spokesperson from the UK Government‘s department of health and social care said: “While we recognise the big impact restrictions have had on many people, the quarantine measures we have in place are helping us to minimise the risk of variants coming into the UK and safeguard the hard-won progress of our vaccination programme.
“Currently people are advised not to travel from England to red list countries.
“Anyone returning to England from a red list country needs to book and pay for their hotel quarantine package, which is a single-cost charge, which we keep under review to ensure value for money for taxpayers.
“Anyone facing financial hardship has the opportunity to apply for a deferred repayment plan when booking.”