Quarantine rules lifted for five countries

Travellers from an additional five countries  will no longer need to quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Scotland.

From Tuesday 28 July,  passengers from Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and St Vincent and The Grenadines will be exempt from quarantine rules.

The decision follows a review of infection prevalence rates of coronavirus (COVID-19). Exemptions are kept under regular review and could be reinstated if the prevalence rates increase. 

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said:

“Infection prevalence rates in countries across the world are being closely monitored. Where there is clear evidence that it is safe to do so, we will add further countries and we are now able to do that for Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and St Vincent and The Grenadines.

“The virus remains infectious and deadly and, with quarantine restrictions being lifted, we must not become complacent.

“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, if they get symptoms,  self-isolating and immediately registering for a test.”

Background

Passengers arriving in Scotland will no longer need to quarantine if they have not been in a non-exempted country in the previous 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 as Scotland’s own infection rates have been falling.

All international travellers arriving into Scotland, apart from a very limited number of 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. 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.

Those travelling abroad should check in advance if there are any requirements to quarantine on arrival at their destination.

The existing list of overseas destinations where  those arriving in Scotland are exempt from self-isolation is:

Andorra; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Australia; Austria; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belgium; Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba; Croatia; Curaçao; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Faroe Islands; Fiji; Finland; France; French Polynesia; Germany; Greece; Greenland; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Hong Kong; Hungary ; Iceland; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg; Macau; Malta; Mauritius; Monaco; The Netherlands ; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Norway; Poland ; Réunion; San Marino ;Seychelles; Spain; St Barthélemy; St Kitts & Nevis; St Lucia; St Pierre and Miquelon; South Korea; Switzerland; Taiwan; Trinidad & Tobago; Turkey; Vatican City State and Vietnam.

The 14 UK overseas territories also on the list of exemptions are: Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Anguilla; Bermuda; British Antarctic Territory; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.