Scotland Announces U-Turn over Quarantine Rules

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed tourists heading home to Scotland from Spain will now need to self-isolate for 14 days again.

Quarantine restrictions reversed

Scotland’s First Minister took to Twitter to announce the reversal of a recent decision to relax quarantine restrictions on those flying in from the popular holiday destination only minutes after the UK announced its decision to do the same thing.

It comes as ministers in England also removed Spain from a ‘safe list’ after a flare-up of coronavirus cases in the country over the past few days. The First Minister tweeted:

The law applies from tonight

The new 14-day quarantine period comes into effect from midnight tonight. Ministers said they took the decision to reduce the risk of the transmission of the virus. 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.”

Hotels, bars and restaurants were only very recently starting to see the return of a few tourists, takings are well down and most staff remain on ERTE. This latest move by Scotland could sound the ‘death-knell’ for many businesses here in Spain. Hopefully, the Spanish government can stem the new outbreaks and avoid a return to lockdown.

Scottish holidaymakers marooned in Spain now have to make their own decision whether to wait the holiday out or try to book a flight back – an expensive option. Tenerife, Mallorca, Benidorm and the Costa del Sol, Facebook is full of angry Scots fuming over the decision their first minister announced this evening. Here just a few:

The Thompsons from Edinburgh are literally fuming mad, after waiting months before thinking it was safe to visit Tenerife, they were sitting enjoying an evening meal when they heard the announcement on the TV in the bar.

Alex Thompson said: “I’m telling you now, that’s it, I’m finished coming here, two months of fr***ing cancellations, refund fiasco with the holiday company, then we get here finally and then this! We heard tonight it was just the English who had to quarantine and to be honest we were having a good laugh over it. Minutes later that bit** Sturgeon announced Scots have to isolate. Why? we (Scotland) have some of the lowest rates, doesn’t make sense at all – the outbreak is miles away on the mainland in Spain, not here!!