Quarantine reinstated for travel from Denmark

Travellers arriving in Scotland from Denmark must quarantine for 14 days from today (Friday 6 November).  The requirement, to self-isolate at home or another   address, takes effect from 12.30pm.

The decision to remove Denmark from the quarantine exemption list is being taken on the basis of public health advice following discussions on Thursday evening between all four Chief Medical Officers in the UK about reported cases in humans of a variant strain of the coronavirus associated with outbreaks in mink farms in Denmark. Similar decisions have been made by all four nations.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said:

“The virus continues to pose significant challenges in Scotland and around the world and we are taking this immediate step based on clinical advice, to help further safeguard public health and keep communities safe. This also underlines our consistent message that people should think very hard before committing to non-essential foreign travel.”

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith said:

“The Chief Medical Officers met last night and we have recommended this immediate action on a precautionary basis. I am liaising with the other UK CMOs today to consider updated information and assess whether we should advise Ministers to take any further steps beyond quarantine.”

 “The Chief Medical Officers are clear that action is required to safeguard public health.

 “If anyone has any concerns, as in any case, whether or not they have travelled from Denmark, they should follow the guidance laid out by Scottish Government and if needed, contact NHS 24.”

Background:

  Public Health Scotland have not identified any positive cases from Denmark in the past 14 days.

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.

The Scottish Government announced yesterday that the public health quarantine requirements would be reinstated for arrivals into Scotland from Germany and Sweden from 4 am on Saturday (7 November).

Regulations to introduce the requirements for arrivals from the three countries were being laid in the Scottish Parliament on Friday.

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.