Covid Scotland: Warning new variant could 'run rampant' as US and EU travel rules eased

From Monday, people from those areas – except France – who have been double vaccinated will be able to travel to Scotland without quarantining.

It follows an announcement from the UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps unveiling the same changes for England.

The need for travellers to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival in Scotland is being waived subject to the countries covered remaining on the amber travel list.

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

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

The Welsh Government said it “regrets” the move to remove the quarantine requirement in England but added it would be “ineffective” to have different rules for Wales.

Ministers in Northern Ireland will consider their position on the charge at Thursday’s meeting of the powersharing executive.

But following an encouraging few days in which Covid case numbers in the UK have fallen from above 50,000 on July 17 to 27,734 by 9am on Wednesday, Labour sounded warnings over the impact of the travel changes.

Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: “The Government’s track record on our borders has been one of recklessness and confusion.

“They are in danger of continuing this by setting out changes in policy…without the scientific data and criteria we need to make sure we don’t see another Johnson variant run rampant through the country and damage the effort of the British public.

“We want to see international travel opened up safely.

“Ministers need to be clear on what progress has been made on reaching reciprocal agreements for Brits travelling abroad – particularly regarding the NHS app being accepted as proof of Covid status.

“We also need a clear green and red list and the country-by-country data to back it up.”

Professor Christina Pagel, director of the clinical operational research unit at UCL, said she was worried about variants that are better at infecting people who are already vaccinated given that those who are fully vaccinated could still catch and pass on the virus.

Speaking to the Guardian, she said a “worrying new variant could emerge” in the US or Europe – or “a variant that emerges anywhere will spread everywhere” if travel were less inhibited between those places and the UK.

Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: “This has only been made possible due to the overwhelming success of our vaccination programme here in Scotland when coupled with successful rollouts of vaccination schemes in the EU and US.

“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.

“This new arrangement will be carefully monitored by clinicians and kept under close review as we seek to put Scotland firmly on the path to recovery – but people should continue to think very carefully about travelling – especially given the prevalence and unpredictable nature of variants of concern.”

Those arriving 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.

Concern over the Beta variant means people arriving who have been in France in the previous 10 days are not eligible.

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.

Edinburgh Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said the move would help kick-start economic recovery.

He said: “Confirmation that Scotland will align with England is very welcome and a relief to the industry.

“We are still miles away from normality, but this is a big step in the right direction.

“Safely opening our borders to the EU and USA will kick-start the country’s economic recovery which will be beneficial to everyone, especially those businesses and jobs across Scotland and its islands that rely on international visitors.”

Asked whether he was confident the US and Europe would reciprocate in allowing fully vaccinated travellers from England without needing to quarantine, Mr Shapps said: “I’ve just spoken to my US counterpart today and in the US they still have an executive order which prevents travel from the UK, from Europe, from several other countries to the US.

“So we’re saying, ‘You can come here, you can come visit, you can come see friends, you can come as a tourist if you’ve been double vaccinated and follow the rules without quarantine’.

“We can’t change that on the other side but we do expect that in time they will release that executive order, which was actually signed by the previous president, and bans inward travel."