Quarantine hotels in Scotland still under 'active consideration'

Nicola Sturgeon has said the Scottish Government is still considering introducing quarantine hotels to stop the import of Covid into Scotland.

The Scottish Government is "actively considering" quarantine hotels for arrivals in Scotland.

Senior ministers in the UK Government, including the Prime Minister, are due to meet on Tuesday to discuss a plan on stricter rules for travellers, and will also discuss housing people arriving in the UK in so-called quarantine hotels.

Concern has been growing about new strains of the virus being brought to the UK from overseas, and has already seen bans on flights from South Africa while travellers from South America and Portugal are also currently prevented from entering the country in response to a Brazilian variant.

Already, as a result of travel corridors being scrapped, nearly everyone entering the UK must go into quarantine for up to ten days.

Asked whether the Scottish Government was also discussing the possibility of quarantine hotels at her daily briefing, Nicola Sturgeon said: “This is under active consideration.

“There have been will be four-nation discussions, though I don't think I’ve personally had a specific discussion on this in the last few weeks.

"The Scottish Cabinet meets tomorrow morning and it will be one of many issues we'll be updated on and consider, not that there will be a firm decision taken tomorrow, but it will be an issue there will be progress around.”

She added: “If there is a decision at any stage to proceed with this kind of policy, it’s important we learn from other countries, but that we put in place a model and system that is right for our circumstances here.”

Earlier on Monday, former UK Border Force chief Tony Smith said that along with pre-departure checks, governments could introduce a health credential for travel.

“Borders are being done electronically, we’ve got e-gates,” he said.

"There’s no reason we couldn’t have a health credential, if one could be agreed, which meets international standards. You could submit that with your passport and visa details to any country you’re going to, and the airline could recognise that and so could your point of entry, but each country is doing it’s own thing and that's where the problem lies and we need to see more joined up thinking on this.”

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