Covid in Scotland: No quarantine for fully vaccinated EU and US visitors

Fully vaccinated travellers from the US and the EU can travel to Scotland without quarantining.

The rules changed at 04:00 following a decision by the Scottish government last week.

Restrictions have also been eased for arrivals to England and Wales, and have been welcomed by the travel industry.

Subject to countries remaining on the amber travel list, travellers will no longer have to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival in Scotland.

The change does not apply to people who have been in France in the 10 days prior to their arrival, due to concerns over the Beta variant of coronavirus.

Travellers need to show a negative test before departure and produce a negative PCR test result on day two after arrival.

The requirement to take a further PCR test on day eight is being dropped.

Karen Musgrave of Barrhead Travel described the move as "really positive".

She told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "We have definitely seen pent up demand released over the last couple of weeks, particularly when we had the news that the fully vaccinated travellers did not have to quarantine when coming back from amber destinations.

"We are also seeing more confidence for further out in the year, so October school holidays and getaways over Christmas and new year are proving really popular just now as well."

But Karen Dee, of the Airport Operators Association, said she would like to see the UK and Scottish governments go further.

Asked about the advice that people should only go abroad if they have to, she told the programme: "It is a bit confusing and, from our perspective, very damaging particularly given the vaccination roll out and the success of that in the UK.

"We would have expected, I think, to have seen us opening up more quickly than others to take advantage of the benefits we have had.

"That has not been the case and we are lagging behind many countries in Europe who are opening up more quickly despite not having so many people vaccinated."

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Tanija Lister, the former owner of the Kylesku Hotel in Sutherland, said it could help extend Scotland's tourism season.

She said: "It's got to be good news for both the tourist industry but also the very beleaguered airline industry and all the people that work within it.

"I think that realistically it probably won't do much to help bolster tourism for the rest of the summer but obviously it'll be helpful in terms of extending the season."

Jacqueline van den Akker, director of Grampian and Escapes and Tours said: "There are a lot of people from North America who postponed trips repeatedly who are now going to take full advantage whether it's traditional tourist season or not.

"They're more keen to get here and actually experience their holiday rather than risk having it postponed again."

Professor of public health at Edinburgh University Linda Bauld said she does not think the new rules will lead to a spike in case numbers.

She said: "This is about parity. People can already travel from the UK to other countries and come back if they have had vaccines here.

"There was a lot of concern about the fact that we were not recognising other countries' vaccination programmes to this is really that shift."

Prof Bauld also cautioned against the removal of the travel testing regulations and said the current system provides "reassurance".

Those arriving in Scotland will be required to show either the EU Digital Covid Certificate or the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's white card - known as a CDC card - to prove they are fully vaccinated

Announcing the changes last week, Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson the change was down to "overwhelming success" of the vaccination scheme in Scotland as well as "successful rollouts" of vaccine programmes in the EU and US.

He said: "Fully vaccinated travellers will be able to travel to Scotland under this significant relaxation of international travel measures, providing a boost for the tourism sector and wider economy while ensuring public health is protected."

He urged people to "continue to think very carefully about travelling - especially given the prevalence and unpredictable nature of variants of concern".

The relaxation of the rules extends to the four European Free Trade Association members - Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein - and the microstates of Monaco, Andorra and Vatican City.