Women quarantining in UK hotels will now have female guards where possible after 16 allegations of sexual harassment, according to reports by the BBC.
Allegations include a male guard miming sex in a lift, while another asked for a hug. Another woman received a stream of Facebook messages from a guard who called her "dear" and "sweetheart", and knocked on her door after writing, "This evening I'll come"
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has indicated that when a female guard isn’t available lone women will be escorted by two male guards instead.
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DHSC has announced guards will be given extra training on how to behave with vulnerable guests "with more focused attention on the needs of lone female guests.”
It has also set up a dedicated complaints team to deal with any issues in quarantine hotels.
DHSC said: “We are doing our upmost to ensure every person in managed quarantine gets the support they need and we're urgently working to investigate complaints of this nature."
A spokesman for security group G4S said: "The proportion of women to men in security officer roles at quarantine hotels is typical of the UK security industry and we are working to attract more women to the role."
However, not everyone welcomes all of the new changes.
Sarah, 23, who is a medical student from Manchester said she welcomes the news of female guards for lone officers but was critical of the move to have two males when a female is unavailable.
She told the BBC: “Personally I would find two male guards more intimidating than just one lone guard. I don't think it ensures the safety of women, rather it increases possible risk."
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