Quarantine measures reimposed for travellers arriving in Scotland from Spain

Travellers arriving in Scotland from Spain will once again have to go into quarantine for 14 days.

Spain has seen an increased number of cases of coronavirus and will be removed from a list of countries exempt from quarantine requirements.

It had only been added to Scotland’s list five days ago.

The decision, also made by the UK Government and devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Wales, has been made to reduce the risk of the transmission of the virus by those travelling from Spain and arriving in Scotland.

The measures come into effect from midnight tonight, and all returning travellers will be made to isolate for 14 days.

Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Having reviewed the latest data earlier today, @scotgov is also reimposing 14 day quarantine for travellers returning from Spain.

“This reinforces the point that these matters are subject to change at short notice & so my advice is to be cautious about non essential foreign travel.”

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The decision to exempt Spain earlier this week, was taken when the data showed there was an improvement in the spread of the virus. But clearly the latest data has given us cause for concern to overturn that decision.

“We appreciate that this will be disappointing. However, we have always been clear we are closely monitoring the pandemic situation in all countries and that we may require to remove a country from the list of places exempt from quarantine requirements should the virus show a resurgence.

“It is still active and it is still deadly. Suppressing the virus, preventing it from being transmitted and protecting public health is our priority.”