From July 10th, Scots are now able to travel to 39 countries without needing to quarantine for 14 days on their return. Spain, however, is not on the list
Nicola Surgeon, First Minister of Scotland, stated that transmission in the Iberian country was still too high.
“My hope is these restrictions can be relaxed soon, and possibly very soon,” she said. “Many people from Scotland enjoy traveling to Spain and I know how much we love welcoming Spanish tourists.”
The First Minister explained that countries which have been rated green by the UK government would feature on Scotland’s list of air bridges. Countries with an amber rating along with a lower prevalence than Scotland are also included. Examples are: Greece, France, Italy.
Tourists traveling to countries rated with a higher prevalence of coronavirus will still be required to quarantine. Spain would be one such country.
When asked about methodology to make the list, Ms. Sturgeon said that it had not been an easy decision but that she saw it as necessary.
“It is estimated that across the UK, around 180 people in every 100,000 currently have Covid,” Ms. Sturgeon said. “That’s higher than the 28 which is our central estimate for Scotland, and this is relevant to the decisions we take on the relaxation of quarantine.”
Some countries rated as amber by the UK Government – Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands – they have nonetheless a prevalence range which is lower than Scotland’s.
“However, Spain has a significantly higher prevalence,” she said. “The prevalence of the virus in the country is around 330 people in every 100,000 have Covid-19. In other words, while the prevalence is less than twice the rate for the UK as a whole, it is more than 10 times the estimated rate for Scotland.
1. The Rules
Arrivals to the UK from countries not on this list are required to self-isolate for 14 days. Travelers will be asked to fill in a form with their contact information, and health officials will perform spot checks to ensure compliance with the measures. Those who do not follow the rules face up to £1,000 fines if they fail to self-isolate after arriving in the UK.
Government officials have stated that these measures would apply to those arriving by plane and ferry. The 14-day quarantine period will apply to British citizens as well as foreign nationals.
Exemptions for road haulers and medical officials apply.
2. List of countries not requiring quarantine upon return:
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Australia
- Belgium
- Bonaire
- Sint 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
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Réunion
- San Marino
- Seychelles
- South Korea
- St Barthélemy
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Pierre and Miquelon
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turkey
- Vatican City
- Vietnam
