Scots holidaymakers still hoping to escape abroad this summer face more misery amid travel restrictions and quarantine rules after it emerged the coronavirus crisis has led to delays in issuing passports.
HM Passport Office (HMPO) workers face a backlog of more than 400,000 applications as a result of the Covid-19 shutdown.
Reduced staff levels to allow for social distancing slowed operations, but the UK Government has since committed to prioritising applications from those “most in need”.
On Friday HMPO said it had issued more than 6,500 passports for individuals “on compassionate and emergency grounds”.
It also committed to fast-tracking applications for people with pre-existing travel bookings.
An update on its website said:“Where a UK-based customer can evidence they are due to travel within the next fortnight, and where HMPO has had their application for longer than four weeks for renewal applications, it will expedite their application so that it is delivered within five working days.”
HMPO encouraged people to submit applications online and to only book travel until they have received their passport.
Before planning foreign trips, holidaymakers need to check whether they are safe to do so under the latest Scottish Government guidance.
It announced that from 10 July, people arriving from "exempt" rated countries won’t have to isolate - and added more on Friday.
Spain was not originally included because of the high prevalence of Covid-19 there, but it has since been added to the list, and travellers to Scotland do not have to isolate on arrival.
While popular holiday destinations like Spain, Australia and Greece are on the list where self-isolation measures have been lifted, destinations such as Portugal, Thailand and the US are not.
On Thursday, the Spanish health ministry reported 971 new daily infections, the biggest daily increase since Spain’s lockdown ended.
In the north-eastern region of Catalonia on Friday, authorities announced the two-week closure of discos and dance halls to curb the transmission of coronavirus.
On Friday the Scottish Government said travellers from an additional five countries will no longer need to quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Scotland beginning on Tuesday (July 28).
They are Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and St Vincent and The Grenadines.
That move followed a review of infection prevalence rates of coronavirus.
The Scottish Government says exemptions are kept under regular review and could be reinstated if the prevalence rates increase.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said:“Infection prevalence rates in countries across the world are being closely monitored.
“Where there is clear evidence that it is safe to do so, we will add further countries and we are now able to do that for Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and St Vincent and The Grenadines.
“The virus remains infectious and deadly and, with quarantine restrictions being lifted, we must not become complacent.
“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, if they get symptoms, self-isolating and immediately registering for a test.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pointed to a lower rate of coronavirus spread in Scotland than in England and has refused to rule out new cross border travel rules, though she says such measures are not being contemplated at the moment.
