Scottish Government lifts quarantine for people arriving from Spain

People travelling into Scotland from Spain, or its surrounding islands, will no longer need to quarantine for two weeks.

It’s after the Scottish Government lifted travel restrictions from the - bringing it in line with the rest of the UK.

The Government says the decision was taken following a thorough review of infection prevalence rates.

Spain is expected to be added later this week to the list of countries exempt from the two-week quarantine rule.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Following this latest review and having carefully considered the potential public health impact of changing the country exemptions for quarantine, we are able to lift that requirement for those travelling from Spain.

“We are continuously keeping other countries under review and where there is clear evidence that it is safe to do so, we will add further countries.

“Clearly the virus has not gone away. It is still active and it is still deadly.

With the quarantine restrictions being lifted from these countries this means we have to be even more careful about what we are doing.”

All international travellers arriving into Scotland must still complete a passenger locator form and provide evidence that they have done so on arrival in the UK if requested to do so by a Border Force official.

Individuals who do not complete the form and present it when asked on arrival may be fined £60.

Mr Yousaf added: “Anyone travelling should follow public health advice at all times including wearing face coverings, avoiding crowded places, washing hands and surfaces, staying two metres apart and self-isolating if they get symptoms and immediately registering for a test.”

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, said it was a welcome development, adding: "This will hopefully provide confidence to people intending to travel as well as airlines looking to rebuild Scotland's connectivity.

"The situation has been difficult for everyone and the decisions that the Scottish Government have had to take are ones we do not envy, but we are glad to see the unworkable blanket quarantine policy effectively being removed for one that is more targeted based on quantified risk.

"Despite this change we still have to unfortunately accept that the normally busy summer season is effectively gone and that will directly impact on jobs in the sector.

"We have tried to protect as many jobs as we can and we continue to work with unions on this, but this pandemic has decimated the aviation industry and it will continue to have a bearing on us for months to come."

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