Covid quarantine laws are a mess and 'unenforceable' MSPs are warned

New quarantine laws which will see people arriving at Scots airports instructed to self-isolate for fourteen days are a "mess" and “unenforceable" MSPs have been warned

Passengers Guy arriving at Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport in London.

Leading QC John Scott also claimed that the UK Government is seeking a way to “get rid of” of the new laws aimed at choking off the spread of Coronavirus.

The head of Police Scotland, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, admitted that he has "reservations" about the demands it will place on the force and potential strain on relations with the public.

The new laws came into force at the weekend and will see Scots fined £480 if they are found to have breached the restriction. In England, the fine is £1,000.

Iain Livingstone has expressed "reservations"

The measures were introduced by the UK Government and apply in Scotland because border control is a “reserved” issue under the devolution settlement.

But Mr Scott, who heads up an advisory group on Scotland’s emergency lockdown laws, told Holyrood's justice sub-committee on policing today: "The quarantine regulations, and speaking personally here, I think are a mess. I do not understand them.

"They appear to be unenforceable. It looks as though the UK Government is trying to find a way within the next few weeks to get rid of them or to forget they're there or to pretend that they were never there."

He also raised concerns that the Scottish Government regulations for the new laws were only published last Sunday as they came into force.

Mr Livingstone also raised concerns about the quarantine rules as he gave evidence to the committee

"I have reservations about the demands they potentially put on policing,” he said.

“I also have reservations about that relationship or trust I was addressing both today and over the last couple of months about, if you like, the police knocking on peoples' door who were in essence not committing any level of offence or committing any level of harm.

"But it's a balance that needs to be struck because of the public health benefit."

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