Coronavirus: Quarantine restrictions for travellers from Greece

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Quarantine restrictions will be imposed on people travelling from Greece to Scotland, the Scottish government has announced.

They will be required to isolate for 14 days if they arrive in Scotland after 04:00 on Thursday.

Ministers said they have taken the move due a “significant rise” in cases of Covid-19 being brought into Scotland from people who have been to Greece.

It has been linked to people returning from the Greek islands.

As a result the country has been being removed from the exemption list on public health grounds.

It is believed prevalence of Covid-19 in Greece currently remains lower than 20 per 100,000 but a number of cases of the virus in Scotland have been traced back to travel to Greece.

They include a passenger who flew to Glasgow from Zante on 23 August.

‘Significant risk’

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are in the midst of a global pandemic and the situation in many countries can change suddenly.

“Therefore, people should think very hard before committing to non-essential travel abroad.

“With Scotland’s relatively low infection rate, importation of new cases from Greece is a significant risk to public health.”

Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith said: “There is a compelling public health risk around importation of the virus, especially given the number of imported cases linked to the Greek islands.

“The flow of travel between Scotland and Greece, and the behaviour we have seen from some of those travellers, means that on public health grounds there is a strong case – supported by public health directors – to remove Greece from the exemption list.”