Scots will no longer have to quarantine for two weeks if they travel back home from Spain, it was announced today.
The decision means that mainland Spain and the Spanish islands will be added this week to a list of destinations exempt from the Scottish Government's two-week quarantine rule.
It's welcome news for the many Scots who had hoped to take advantage of a break in Spain following the resumption of international travel as lockdown eases.
Holyrood ministers had initially kept Spain on a list of nations that quarantine restrictions still applied to after several infection spikes across the popular holiday destination last month.
Nicola Sturgeon originally announced on July 10 a list of 57 countries where passengers arriving in Scotland from were no longer required to self-isolate - but there was dismay from the tourism sector that Spain wasn't included.
In a statement tonight, justice secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Following this latest review and having carefully considered the potential public health impact of changing the country exemptions for quarantine, we are able to lift that requirement for those travelling from Spain.
"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
“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.”
All international travellers arriving into Scotland will still be expected to complete a passenger locator form on arrival in the UK if requested to do so by a Border Force official.
