A traffic lights system for foreign travel came into effect in Scotland yesterday, Monday, 17 May.
People going to countries which appear on the “green list” will not need to quarantine on their return, the Scottish Government has confirmed, mirroring what happens throughout the UK.
Things are going to be constantly reviewed and countries can move up and down the traffic lights depending on their Covid cases and vaccination rates. As such, travel is still very volatile.
It means, whilst travel abroad is now permitted again, travellers should remain “highly cautious”, especially with new variants manifesting.
The green list includes Portugal, Israel, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Iceland, Gibraltar and more obscure islands like Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, South Georgia, Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Tristan de Cunha and Ascension Island. A passenger locator form is necessary plus pre-departure testing but no hotel quarantine or self-isolation is needed on return.
The amber list – which will include places such as Greece, Malta, France and Italy – also involves form filling, testing and no hotel stay, but self-isolation for 10 days would be required. Red countries, including India where the pandemic is not under control, would involve hotel quarantine.
A statement on behalf of the operators of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports, said the move was a “step in the right direction” but “very much a missed opportunity” with so few countries on the green list.
