THE mother of a child whose father lives in America has blasted international travel and quarantine rules during Covid-19 as "unfair". 

Charlene Hewitt - who lives in the West End with her daughter - is calling on the Scottish Government to provide a travel exemption for split families with parents who live overseas.

The 31-year-old has slammed the cost of quarantine hotels, telling how her daughter, Paisley, has struggled to see her father for more than one year. 

Glasgow Times:

She said: "The list of exemptions included shared parenting as a necessary means of travelling but the Scottish Government said that was only within the community of the country. 

“There was no information about shared parenting overseas at all, even though it is a legal obligation. 

"The cost of quarantine hotels alone are extremely cost-prohibitive, especially for people like me - whose child has a parent overseas."

Glasgow Times:

Charlene - who divorced in Florida - is legally obliged to split parental custody of Paisley with her ex-husband 50-50. 

She added: "In Florida, if a couple gets divorced, it becomes law that there should be a split parenting plan in place if children are involved. I feel very frustrated at the government and what we can do. 

“I really feel like this is an injustice because sportspeople and business people can travel abroad no problem at all. 

“We’ve seen sports athletes travel abroad for training for example, with no worries but then there are children who are going without because they can’t see their parents."

Glasgow Times:

In Scotland, international travel exemptions include reasons for work and business, volunteering, medical treatment, education, weddings and funerals. 

Currently, those who arrive in Scotland from overseas need to spend 10 days in isolation at a specified quarantine hotel - often costing anything between £1200 and £1700. 

Charlene said: "There needs to be an exemption for split families so as children can see their parents. We would follow all the rules and be as safe as we can with PPE and physical distancing and of course, we would take the tests prior to travelling, too.

“Children grow up so quickly it has already been one year now. It hasn’t been easy for her. 

“It has been expensive and exhausting. We’re just trying to keep the contact between my daughter and her dad. It really isn’t an excuse to go on holiday, either.”

Glasgow Times:

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We know that the pandemic has been a particularly hard time for parents and our sympathies are with those who face issues with access due to international travel restrictions.

"The position in Scotland remains that it's not permitted to travel abroad without an essential reason.

"Border health measures are designed to prevent the introduction of new chains of transmission, and they are even more important now to stop the spread of new strains of coronavirus. 

"Where possible we will look to adopt a four-nation approach for the re-opening of international travel. 

"However, decisions on border health measures are a devolved matter and will be taken by Ministers on the basis of evidence and with the safety of our communities as our primary concern."