A DAUGHTER stuck in a quarantine hotel while her dad is dying has said the experience is so traumatic she fears being left with PTSD.

Claire Herriot travelled from Turkey on Tuesday night to visit her father, Gordon, who is gravely ill in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

The 39-year-old has been allowed one compassionate visit to see him but fears he will die before her quarantine ends on August 7.

TV producer Claire, who is from Glasgow but works in Istanbul, said the Scottish Government's behaviour had been "shameful".

And she is calling for mercy to be shown to allow her to leave the Edinburgh hotel and visit her 75-year-old dad.

Claire said: "I believe I meet the criteria for leaving quarantine due to the significant distress this situation is causing.

"I am now the patient. If I had a broken leg they would send an ambulance but mental health is being treated differently to physical health." 

Claire did not book her flight until she had permission from the Managed Isolation Team for a one-off compassionate visit, an agreement that took three days of email negotiations.

All Glasgow quarantine hotels were full so she was forced to book a room in Edinburgh, leaving her an hour's drive from her father.

Yesterday, in order to make the visit, she was escorted by two guards from her room to the car park where her mother was waiting to drive her to Glasgow.

On the way back she was marched by one guard to her room.

The Herald:

Gordon is suffering from multiple organ failure and doctors told her mother to call home Claire and her brother, who lives in Spain.

Claire, who is double vaccinated and tested negative for covid, said: "It was highly traumatic to have to visit my dad in this way.

"A the end of the visit he couldn't understand why I was leaving him. Frankly, I don't understand why I had to leave him either.

"Heartbreakingly, he thought I had to go in case he gave me germs - he just didn't understand what was going on at all.

"I was taken aback when I saw him. I had hope, and still have hope, that he rallies but after seeing him yesterday I don't think he will.

"If he dies before I get to see him again I will have to ask for permission to attend his funeral, which is unbearable." 

Claire has become so distressed that she has called NHS24 three times but the call handler said she could not help.

She was advised to call the Covid helpline, but this wasn't open. 

Claire said: "The trauma of the past few days has pushed me to a mental health crisis.

"There is a leaflet I was given in my room that says a mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a physical health emergency and yet nothing has been done to help me.

"I had no idea the hotel quarantine would be like this. I'm left food at my hotel room door like an animal and escorted when I leave the room.

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"I would still have come because I want to see my dying father but the conditions are appalling."

An email response from the Scottish Government's enquiry helpline about Claire's situation had the name of her hotel wrong and was, Claire said, patronising.

It reads: “We have provided details around the rationale for the international travel restrictions policy currently in operation both in Scotland and the UK so I won’t go over that again.

“However, as a responsible citizen, I am sure you will want to do all that you can to prevent any risk of transmission of the virus by completing your stay in managed isolation for the prescribed 10 day period."

Claire flew through Amsterdam, which is on the green list, and was not asked at Edinburgh Airport if she had travelled from anywhere else.

She said: "I could easily have said I had come from Amsterdam as no one checked but I was honest.

"The people here are more of a threat to me than I am to them as rates in Turkey are lower than here."

The helpline email added: "It would be most helpful if you were to set out a suggested Visit Plan with us setting out your expectations for visits, including timings etc."

In response to this Claire has requested visits of 23.5 hours a day, as a starting point "to barter to get out".  

Claire now has a "statement of fact" letter from her Scottish GP, seen by this paper, and which details her significant distress.

She added: "I now have to wait and see what they say next.

"This situation has been made far harder and it needn't have to be this way.

"The Government officials have shown a lack of compassion and common sense.

"Why can't they evaluate each case on its merits? The whole quarantine system is flawed."   

The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.