Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 October 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what criteria it uses to determine whether countries are listed as red on its international travel and managed isolation regime, and what information it has on the support available to people from Scotland who travel to countries listed as amber, which are subsequently listed as red, resulting in a need to change travel plans at short notice.
Ministers take decisions on travel restrictions based on evidence provided by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC). These reports take into account a number of factors in judging the risk associated with travel from each country, including case numbers, incidence of the virus amongst the population, the prominence of variants of concern as well as any other practical factors relevant to each country.
The Scottish Government considers this data in relation to the public health situation in Scotland. Following careful consideration of clinical and scientific evidence, the four nations have agreed to ease inbound international travel restrictions from 4 October.
Restrictions put in place to protect public health have been substantially revised to make travel simpler, with green and amber classifications merged while the red list is retained for those countries deemed to have high COVID19 case rates or variants of concern.
Travellers from non-red list countries who have been fully vaccinated in a country that meets recognised standards of certifications will no longer be required to provide evidence of a negative test result before they can travel to Scotland. The requirement to self-isolate upon arrival will be removed and Scotland will also align with the UK post-arrival testing regime in due course.
In certain circumstances, there may be hardship or welfare arrangements available to travellers who are unable to afford hotel quarantine. The following link provides further information: