Question reference: S6W-00438
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 3 June 2021
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many overseas visitors arrived directly into Scottish airports or ports in 2021, broken down by, where available, (a) the stated reason for the visit, (b) how many of the visitors provided evidence of a negative COVID-19 test at the point of arrival, (c) how many visitors were tested for COVID-19 by health authorities on arrival, (d) how many visitors were found to be positive for COVID-19 on arrival and (e) how many visitors were denied entry on the grounds of public health alone.
Answer
Information on arrivals into the UK are published by the Home Office and can be found here: Immigration statistics, year ending March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
All travellers have to take a COVID-19 test within 72hrs of their departure; evidence has to presented to the carrier prior to boarding the aircraft at their port of origin. To be allowed to enter the country, all travellers need to be in possession of the relevant managed quarantine or test package dependent on which country they have come from or transited through. This is checked at the UK border.