Covid in Scotland: Families reunited as quarantine rules relaxed

Families have been reunited as restrictions are eased on fully-vaccinated visitors from the EU and US arriving in Scotland.

People who have been double-jabbed in the EU and US no longer have to quarantine.

The change, which began at 04:00, affects those arriving from countries on the amber list - except France.

The Scottish government said it was possible due to the success of the vaccine roll-out.

However, people are still being urged to "think very carefully about whether your trip abroad is necessary" before they travel.

There were emotional scenes at Glasgow Airport, just hours after the restrictions were eased.

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Elaine Burt, 55, a senior nurse with the NHS, was waiting for her sister and nephews to arrive from Boston, USA, for their first meeting in 20 months.

After the reunion Ms Burt, from Newton Mearns, said: "It was an absolute relief, it just felt as if it was never going to happen and it's just the best present ever.

"We never thought it was going to happen with all of the different restrictions, but we left it to the last minute to see what was possible."

Her sister Michelle Bolger, 50, and her nephews Kaie, 17, and Taran, 12, who were all double vaccinated in the US, were visiting Scotland to spend time with her mother Jean, who has been unwell.

Ms Bolger said: "It's been so long. It's been really hard, but we're here, we made it.

"We booked the flight just a week past Monday. It's been a rollercoaster trying to get here.

"We still have to test on day two but it's great, absolutely amazing, I didn't think I would see this day."

There were emotional scenes at Glasgow airport as families were reunited

Another person enjoying isolation-free travel was Colin Morton, 56.

The engineer, who moved to Italy in his mid-20s and had both his vaccinations in Italy, said he had returned to Scotland to visit his mother, who has been unwell.

He said: "My mother and father live here and they are both elderly and my mother has been unwell, so I'm looking forward to being able to see her. There would have been no point coming if I had to quarantine."

Meanwhile, among those looking forward to visiting Scotland without having to quarantine is avid golfer Bill Luyk, from Michigan, USA.

He said he felt like "a four-year-old on Christmas morning" thinking about his forthcoming trip.

Mr Luyk told BBC Scotland: "Golfers in the US are just chomping at the bit to play the courses we're going to play.

"We're really, really looking forward to it and hopefully things will remain open."

Under the new rules, people who were fully vaccinated in the following countries will not have to isolate for 10 days on arrival in Scotland:

• UK

• EU member states (except France)

• Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland

• Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City

• USA

People travelling from amber list countries will need to show a negative test before departure and produce a negative PCR test result on day two after arrival.

And they will have to show either the EU Digital Covid Certificate or the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's white card - known as a CDC card - to prove they are fully vaccinated.

The change does not apply to people who have been in France in the 10 days prior to their arrival, due to concerns over the Beta variant.

Restrictions have caused 'a lot of frustration'

Julie Clarke lives in Prague in the Czech Republic and will fly into Edinburgh on Monday night.

Before the pandemic the teacher would return to Scotland up to seven times a year to visit her mother, who is disabled and housebound.

But she has only been home once the UK went into lockdown in March last year, and said the restrictions have led to a "lot of frustration".

Ms Clarke told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It was very stressful. I went in December. Amsterdam shut their entry to Scotland, I then had to go to London. Czech Republic then shut to London, I then had to fly to Poland. Took me 23 hours to get home."

She added she is "very excited" about her flight which she booked last Wednesday - the day before the new restrictions were announced.

Ms Clarke said: "I've been double vaccinated since April and have the same vaccinations as many of my family and friends in Scotland and was very frustrated I couldn't travel."

But she can only stay for a week so she is safe to return to school for the new term.

The teacher said: "I want to keep myself safe, the children safe, my colleagues at work safe so I'm more than happy if I have to quarantine when I get back here."

The change to the rules has been largely welcomed by the travel industry with Karen Musgrave, of Barrhead Travel, describing the move as "really positive".

She told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "We have definitely seen pent up demand released over the last couple of weeks, particularly when we had the news that the fully vaccinated travellers did not have to quarantine when coming back from amber destinations.

"We are also seeing more confidence for further out in the year, so October school holidays and getaways over Christmas and new year are proving really popular just now as well."

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Karen Dee, of the Airport Operators Association, said she would like to see the UK and Scottish governments go further.

Asked about the advice that people should only go abroad if they have to, she said: "It is a bit confusing and, from our perspective, very damaging particularly given the vaccination roll out and the success of that in the UK.

"We would have expected, I think, to have seen us opening up more quickly than others to take advantage of the benefits we have had.

"That has not been the case and we are lagging behind many countries in Europe who are opening up more quickly despite not having so many people vaccinated."

Are you planning to travel to Scotland from the EU or US now that the quarantine restrictions have been eased? What difference will the new rules make to you? Please share your stories and pictures with us.

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Professor of public health at Edinburgh University Linda Bauld said she does not think the new rules will lead to a spike in case numbers.

She said: "This is about parity. People can already travel from the UK to other countries and come back if they have had vaccines here.

"There was a lot of concern about the fact that we were not recognising other countries' vaccination programmes to this is really that shift."

Prof Bauld also cautioned against the removal of the travel testing regulations and said the current system provides "reassurance".

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