COVID-19 travel advice regarding PCR testing changes: FOI release

Information requested

“Please provide by freedom of information emails and replies between the Clinical Director Jason Lietch and the First Minister, ministers, civil servants and special advisors discussing her covid travel update advice issued on or around the end of November beginning of December 2021. Where she stated that anyone returning from abroad will be asked to take a PCR test on the SECOND day after arrival and self isolate until the result. In particular the emails that discuss this deviation from the previous advice that allowed PCR tests to be taken upon arrival in Scotland from abroad.”

Response

Please see the attached document in Annex A in response to the first part of your request.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption(s) under s.38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemptions applies are explained in Annex B to this letter.

We do not hold any information for the second part of your query relating to “deviation from the previous advice that allowed PCR tests to be taken upon arrival in Scotland from abroad” as there was no change to this policy.

This is a formal notice under Section 17 of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202200270154 - Information Released - Annex A and B

File type

3 page PDF

File size

125.9 kB