I'm Emily and I'm currently stranded in South Africa with my husband Owen where we have been visiting my family for the first time in more than two years.

When we left our home in London, there was no red list and no hotel quarantine to consider. We have been extremely diligent throughout the pandemic, complying with all guidance and following every restriction. But, out of the blue, South Africa was put on the UK's red list and hotel quarantine imposed.

We believe that it is unfair, unreasonable and unacceptable to demand that returning British residents, who have followed all COVID and travel protocol correctly, are being left to pay thousands of pounds to come home. For us, that's nearly £4,000 for mandatary hotel quarantine, in addition to the cost of new flights.

We agree with the need for quarantines to protect the population. However, many travellers have been caught in Southern African countries when rules changed overnight with no option to get home other than paying for hotel quarantine.  

We call on Boris Johnson to rethink this decision and for the UK Parliament to agree that the government should fund hotel quarantine costs for travellers stuck in the same situation as us, through no fault or choice of their own.