Travellers arriving from Israel must quarantine for 10 days

Travellers arriving in Scotland from Israel must now quarantine on arrival for 10 days.

The Scottish Government said the decision to remove Israel’s exemption status was taken due to a significant increase in cases of coronavirus in the country.

Furthermore, the current travel ban on visitors from South Africa continues to remain in place.

Botswana, Mauritius and Seychelles are also being removed from the list of destinations exempt from quarantine on arrival in Scotland due to the spread of the South African variant of Covid-19.

Travel from those countries, as well as Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe will become subject to the additional measures in place for South Africa, including a travel ban for arrivals other than UK nationals and those with a right to reside in the UK.

All of the changes take effect from 4am on Saturday, December 9.

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: “It is our priority to disrupt the spread of this virus which remains a significant challenge in Scotland and across the world.

“A critical line of defence in managing the risk of imported cases from countries with high risks of transmission is imposing quarantine restrictions.

“The decisions to remove countries from our travel exemption list have been taken on clinical advice to help further safeguard public health and keep our communities safe.”

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith said: “My clinical view, is that the risk associated with the South African variant remains severe, and that these measures should remain in place.

“It is also imperative that anybody who has recently travelled from any of the countries now exempt, and their household, should self-isolate for 10 days and follow the guidance laid out by the Scottish Government. If needed, they should contact NHS 24.”