Scots can holiday in Spain, at last
Holidaymakers from Scotland will be able to travel to Spain without being forced to quarantine when they return home from later this week.
The lifting of the travel restriction follows a review of infection rates in mainland Spain and its islands.
Scotland’s travel industry was shocked on 8 July when the government excluded Spain from its list of quarantine-exempt destinations. At the time, Joanne Dooey, president of the Scottish agents’ association SPAA warned the decision could lead to job losses.
A week later, TUI announced it was axing its entire summer 2020 programme from Aberdeen.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the Scottish government had decided to lift the quarantine for arrivals from Spain following its latest review ‘and having carefully considered the potential public health impact of changing the country exemptions for quarantine’.
"We are continuously keeping other countries under review and where there is clear evidence that it is safe to do so, we will add further countries," he said. "Clearly the virus has not gone away. It is still active and it is still deadly. With the quarantine restrictions being lifted from these countries this means we have to be even more careful about what we are doing.
"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 self-isolating if they get symptoms and immediately registering for a test."
The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association welcomed the move, saying it ‘means that Scots can still take advantage of a summer holiday after a long period in lockdown’ and shows that ‘Scotland is open for business again’.
By Linsey McNeill, Editor (UK)
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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