Mr Roland Chong Kwong Min's Forum letter raised the issue of saving costs when making arrangements to isolate returnees from the United States or Britain (Stay-home notice: Provide lower-cost hotels, but with option to upgrade, April 1).

While the suggestion is well intended, it complicates the urgency of isolating returnees. Budget hotels tend to be small, and thus many more hotels would need to be engaged.

More manpower would be needed to secure the premises to ensure that those on stay-home notices remain in their rooms. More planning would also be required for transport because there are more routes involved.

Furthermore, allowing returnees the option to top up with cash to get a hotel upgrade may create segregation within segregation. The rich may possibly upgrade to five-or even six-star hotels, while the rest who cannot afford it remain in budget hotels.

Then there is the issue of meals - allow topping up for a set meal or a lunch box?

Allow a further top-up to get a room with a view?

Once the option to top up becomes available, there will be more top-up demands.

The current arrangements for returnees are fair. Nobody gets to request which hotel he wants to serve his stay-home notice in. All are given similar accommodation and meals.

And after their 14-day stay-home notice, hopefully they all go home healthy and safe to their families, with no complaints that some stayed in budget hotels while some went to better hotels.

Grace Chua Siew Hwee