Good Omens author Neil Gaiman has apologised for travelling more than 11,000 miles from New Zealand to his house in Skye in breach of Scotland’s lockdown rules.
The American Gods writer faced online criticism and was spoken to by police after admitting he travelled to Scotland so as he could “isolate easily” after he and his wife Amanda agreed they “needed to give each other some space”.
Posting on his blog on Monday night, the 59-year-old admitted that he did “something stupid” and “managed to mess things up in Skye”, a place he loves “most in the world”.
Gaiman, who has been living in the UK since 2017, explained that he was “panicked, more than a little overwhelmed and stuck in New Zealand”.
Once New Zealand had lifted its strict lockdown, he took the first flight out.
Stating he wasn’t thinking clearly, Gaiman admitted: “I just wanted to go home.”
Only essential journeys are permitted under lockdown rules in Scotland, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stressing the message north of the border is “stay at home”.
Following his chat with Police Scotland officers, the writer accepted that he should have stayed in New Zealand.
Gaiman added: “Since I got here Skye has had its own tragic Covid outbreak – ten deaths in a local care home.
“It’s not set up to handle things like this, and all the local resources are needed to look after the local community.
“So, yes. I made a mistake. Don’t do what I did. Don’t come to the Highlands and Islands unless you have to.
“I want to apologise to everyone on the island for creating such a fuss.
“I also want to thank and apologise to the local police, who had better things to do than check up on me.
“I’m sure I’ve done sillier things in my life, but this is the most foolish thing I’ve done in quite a while.”
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