Scotland lifts quarantine for travellers from Gibraltar

Passengers arriving in Scotland from 57 overseas destinations, including Gibraltar, will no longer need to quarantine as from this Friday.

The measure was lifted for those travelling from countries that have similar or lower levels of coronavirus infection than Scotland.

This public health measure will be lifted on Friday, July 10 for those arriving from countries and territories where the risk of importing Covid-19 is sufficiently low.

Passengers arriving from these countries will still be required to complete the online passenger locator form prior to travel and to supply contact details, travel details and the address of the final destination where they will be staying.

Gibraltar currently has no direct air links to Scotland, but that could change in the future.

Last December easyJet announced it would launch a new route from Gibraltar to Edinburgh, the first direct connection between Gibraltar and Scotland.

The flights were set to launch on March 31, 2020 but this was stopped due to the spread of coronavirus, which saw Gibraltar and many other countries lock down during this period.

Travel restrictions were imposed and although easyJet is hopes to reinstate its Gibraltar to Manchester route on July 20 and London flights on July 25, there has been no update on the Scotland route.

Travellers arriving into Scotland via an English port or airport, or direct to the country, will still need to quarantine if they have been in a country which is not on the exemption list.

“Having carefully considered the public health impact of proposed exemptions we will lift the quarantine requirements from a limited number of countries where the risk of importing Covid-19 is sufficiently low,” said Scotland’s Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf.

“These exemptions will take effect on Friday, at the same time as those being introduced for travel into England and Wales.”

“As we have lowered the level of the virus in Scotland, we must manage the risk of more cases coming into the country, particularly from areas where infections are more prevalent than here. That makes decisions about lifting quarantine requirements particularly difficult.

“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 you get symptoms and immediately registering for a test.”