An unemployed woman has said she doesn't know how she'll pay for the hotel she must quarantine in after returning to the UK from Brazil, where she attended her father's funeral.
A 40-year-old woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, travelled to Brazil on 6 December after her father fell ill with coronavirus.
She intended to return when he got better, but he sadly died earlier this month from complications triggered by the disease.
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The woman, who lives in Hertfordshire, stayed in Brazil for the funeral and ended up arriving back in the UK on Friday (19 February).
She now has to quarantine for at least 10 days at the Radisson Blu hotel at Heathrow Airport, facing a bill of £1,750.
Speaking to the Press Association, she said: "It's the last thing I wanted after I just lost my dad.
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"I wasn't in Brazil on holiday - I went there for a very difficult situation.
"All I wanted to do is just go home, and I can't."
She first moved to the UK 10 years ago to study, lost her job last July when her employer shut down activity - partly because of the pandemic.
Since then, she's been living off her redundancy payment and money from some freelance work, while her chef husband has also seen his income affected by coronavirus.
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She added: "To be very honest, I don't even know how I'm going to pay."
She had a negative Covid test before boarding her flight from Brazil, and said the quarantine process at Heathrow had been 'very organised'.
However, she feels confused at how she's been allowed to mix with other passengers who were not flying from red list countries, having had to change in Madrid as there were no direct flights.
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She explained she had been 'very close' to travellers from non-red list countries in the airport, and one had been just one seat away from her on the plane.
She said: "I just thought, 'this just doesn't make any sense'."
She said she will find a way to pay her hotel bill if the alternative is 'going to prison', but still feels angry that any help in the form of deferred repayment is only available to those who receive income-related benefits.
She is now hoping an exception can be made because of her circumstances, meaning she would not have to pay the hefty fee for the hotel.
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"I think it's just so unfair because it doesn't mean, if I'm not on benefit, I don't still need help," she said.
Featured Image Credit: PA