Canary Islands, Denmark, the Maldives and Mykonos added to exempt list but travellers from Liechtenstein must quarantine on arrival in Scotland for 14 days from 4am on Sunday (25 October).
This is due to a significant rise in cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) as well as an increase in the numbers of cases testing positive in Lichtenstein as well as the associated risk of importation into Scotland.
However, from Sunday, travellers arriving from the Canary Islands, Denmark, the Maldives and the Greek island of Mykonos will no longer need to quarantine due to the low number of cases.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said:
“I cannot stress enough, that lifting quarantine restrictions on some destinations, in line with the public health data we have received, is not a green light that it is safe to book foreign travel. We are still in the middle of a global pandemic and all travel carries a risk. The volatility of the virus means that there is no guarantee that exempt countries or regions will remain on this list in future weeks. People should keep this in mind if they decide to book travel abroad.
“Imposing quarantine restrictions on those arriving in the UK is our first defence in managing the risk of imported cases from communities with high risks of transmission and it is vital that we use these measures in our efforts to suppress the virus.
“We will continue to have regular discussions with the other three governments in the UK.”
Background:
Public health rules for international travel are an important part of Scotland’s wider response to the pandemic to limit the introduction of new chains of transmission.
To allow the appropriate arrangements to be put in place, following the laying of the regulations, the change will come into force at 4am on Sunday 25 October.
All international travellers arriving into Scotland, apart from a very limited number of individual exemptions, must 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. This includes people arriving from countries where quarantine is subsequently not required. Failure to do so can also result in a fine since this, along with any failure to self-isolate where required, poses a significant risk to wider public health across Scotland.
Individuals who do not complete the form and present it when asked on arrival may be fined £60. The fine can be doubled for each subsequent offence up to a maximum of £480.
Failure to comply with the requirement to quarantine may result in a fine of more than £480.
Those travelling abroad should check in advance for any local requirements to quarantine on arrival at their destination. Further information about the foreign travel public health rules, including quarantine requirements, can be read on the Scottish Government website. This includes the existing list of overseas destinations where those arriving in Scotland are exempt from self-isolation.
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