Arrivals in Scotland face fine if they breach quarantine

People arriving in Scotland from abroad will have to quarantine for 14 days or face a £480 fine from today.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said that Scotland will be introducing measures broadly similar to those in other parts of the UK.

All people arriving in Scotland will have to supply contact details, travel details and the address of where they will self-isolate.

Border Force officials will carry out spot checks at the border and can impose fines on travellers who refuse to comply.

Anyone failing to provide details or breaching self-isolation could be fined up to £480.

People believed to be repeatedly breaching quarantine can be reported to the procurator fiscal for potential prosecution and could face a fine of up to £5,000, although the Justice Secretary said this would be done as a last resort''.

Mr Yousaf said: We are, as a country and across the world, continuing to deal with unprecedented challenges that this pandemic brings. These public health measures will play an important part in helping to prevent further spread of the disease.

These steps are aimed at protecting people and ensuring that we limit spread when our own infection rates are falling.

However, they are temporary and will not be in place any longer than deemed necessary to protect public health - as such, they will be reviewed after three weeks.''

The fines are lower than those being introduced in England, where there will be fixed penalty notices of £1,000 or prosecution for anyone who breaches their self-isolation.

Mr Yousaf said this was due to the different legal systems in the two countries, which mean that a fine would have to be reported to the procurator fiscal if it were above £500 in Scotland.