New Covid travel rules for those arriving into Scotland from countries such as France and India will be introduced from Sunday morning.
Arrivals into Scotland from France will be able to avoid Covid isolation if they have received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine, the Scottish Government has announced.
From Sunday morning a host of new travel rules will come into place in Scotland, including moving India from red Covid list to amber.
The government said the step to realign France with the rest of the EU is possible due to a reported fall in the country’s Beta variant coronavirus case rate.
New Covid travel rules in Scotland for France
Other changes to the traffic light system saw Austria, Germany and Slovenia move from the amber to the green list.
Spain remains on the amber list but travellers are advised to be cautious as investigations continue into a new variant originating in South America and now present in Spain.
Travellers warned to take care in Spain
It is recommended passengers choose a PCR test prior to departure from Spain, rather than other available tests such as lateral flow devices.
The countries moving from the red to amber are India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Georgia and Mexico, as well as the French overseas territories of Réunion and Mayotte, have moved to the red list.
It means anyone arriving from these countries will have to isolate for 10 days in a managed quarantine facility.
International travel ‘remains challenging’
The cost of managed isolation has increased to £2,285 for a first adult and £1,430 for a second adult in a room. The price for children remains at £325.
A spokesman for AGS Airports, which owns Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports, said: “While a step in the right direction, we have repeatedly highlighted that aviation is not an industry that can just be simply switched on or off at short notice.
“Passenger confidence is at an all-time low and our airline partners are understandably finding it challenging to operate schedules given the unpredictability of the current situation.
“The road to rebuilding an industry that has seen thousands of jobs vanish and vital connectivity lost will be a long one.”
“A long-term recovery plan for aviation is absolutely crucial and we will continue to urge government to work with us.”
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Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson explained the latest changes make it clear that international travel remains challenging.
He said: “Recent relaxations to travel restrictions for fully vaccinated people were due to the huge success of the Scottish Government’s vaccination programme.
“It is vitally important we protect that progress through continued vigilance on importation, and we continue to urge caution given the risks caused by variants of concern.”