Covid: Student 'crying for water' in Majorca quarantine hotel

Sophie Burdge says there is no laundry service at the quarantine hotel

A student nurse says she'd rather be in prison than the Spanish quarantine hotel where she's been placed.

Sophie Burdge, 22, from Barry, had been on holiday in Majorca but tested positive for Covid before her flight home.

She said the lack of communication and service had left her "begging" for food and water.

The hotel said water was available and meals were supplied by hospital catering.

Miss Burdge said staff at the Hotel Palma Bellver had never checked on her condition, despite her positive test.

Following her test result on Tuesday, she said she was not picked up and taken to the hotel until 24 hours after the initial appointment, at 21:00 local time (20:00 BST) the following day.

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"They then said, because I'd gotten there so late, I couldn't have any food, so I was really hungry," she said.

'I was crying my eyes out'

Miss Burdge said she was not provided with any food the following day until she decided to order some herself at about 13:00.

"I ordered McDonald's and they didn't give it to me, they took it off me. Then I tried ordering again from a different company, and they didn't give me that either.

"I was crying my eyes out because I was so hungry, I was starving," she said.

Miss Burdge says meals have been provided that are "freezing cold"

'Begging for water'

She said: "On my first night, I got there, and I had no water. I was thinking, 'I know I'm hungry, but water is more important'.

"I was ringing and ringing and ringing asking and begging for water, I think I was crying at one point for water."

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"There's no laundry service. I've run out of knickers, so I've been washing them in the sink - sounds bad but I have no choice."

She said other guests at the hotel had started passing supplies to each other using bed sheets tied up to make ropes.

Guests at the hotel have been using rope made out of bed sheets to collect food deliveries, says Miss Burdge

"This boy cut up a bed sheet, tied it all together, tied the water and roped it down to me, so I could have a bottle of water.

"People are ordering food and putting the rope down and the delivery guy will just tie it on," she added.

Ms Burdge also said she had run out of medication she needed for a mental health issue because she was unable to communicate with the doctor at the hotel.

"I only took enough for a seven-day holiday, but now I don't have any," she said. "I'm not supposed to stop taking it, but I don't have it to take."

Miss Burdge said she had planned the holiday following a tough few months, and this had only made things worse.

"I lost my partner a few months ago, so I've come on holiday with my friend and her little girl just to get away really, just to have a break and clear my head," she said.

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Spain is currently on the UK's amber list, meaning double vaccinated travellers no longer have to quarantine once they return, but must take a private Covid test before the flight home.

If this test is positive, they must isolate for 10 days before returning to the UK, and this will sometimes mean being placed in a quarantine hotel.

Hotel Palma Bellver said food was served by hospital catering, not the hotel, and that water was available to guests on request.

In a statement, the hotel said: "The operation is sanitary (more similar to that of a hospital than to that of a hotel), and therefore the meals (four a day) are served by the hospital catering, supervised by hospital dietitians.

"The guests/patients are allowed to order meals outside, (as well as other basic supplies) but not processed food, as per the doctor's prescription.

"The staff of our company only manages the inventory of rooms, we respond to the client-patient, and we serve as a 'connecting link' between the various agents involved," they added.