Quarantine restrictions have been introduced for travellers arriving in Scotland from Greece.
People arriving in Scotland from the country will be required to self-isolate at home, or another specified address, for 14 days upon arrival. The rules are in place from 4am on Thursday (September 3).
The decision has been made due to the rise of coronavirus cases being imported into Scotland by people who have been in Greece.
Evidence of virus importation, especially from the Greek islands, has led to the country being removed from the exemption list on public health grounds. It is believed prevalence of Covid-19 in Greece currently remains lower than 20 per 100,000, however, a number of cases of the virus in Scotland can be traced back to travel to Greece.
It comes after Tui confirmed that a passenger flying from Zante to Glasgow on August 23 had later tested positive for coronavirus.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are in the midst of a global pandemic and the situation in many countries can change suddenly. Therefore, people should think very hard before committing to non-essential travel abroad. With Scotland’s relatively low infection rate, importation of new cases from Greece is a significant risk to public health. I would also encourage people who have returned to Scotland from Greece in the last few days to be particularly careful in their social contacts and to ensure they stick to the FACTS.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation in all parts of the world and base the decisions we make on the scientific evidence available.
“Regular discussions continue with the other three governments in the UK.
“Requiring travellers arriving from a non-exempt country to quarantine for 14 days on arrival is vital to helping prevent transmission of the virus and to suppress it. More details about what this means can be found on the Scottish Government website.
“Wherever people have travelled from – an exempt country or not – it is a legal requirement to complete a Passenger Locator Form and provide it to Border Force officials. Failure to do so can also result in a fine since this, along with any failure to self-isolate where required, poses a significant risk to wider public health across Scotland.”
Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith added: “There is a compelling public health risk around importation of the virus, especially given the number of imported cases linked to the Greek islands.
“The flow of travel between Scotland and Greece, and the behaviour we have seen from some of those travellers, means that on public health grounds there is a strong case – supported by public health directors – to remove Greece from the exemption list.”
