The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Sturgeon refuses to rule out border quarantine.
Sturgeon says ‘all options’ to prevent virus resurgence north of the border considered
Nicola Sturgeon said introducing quarantine for people coming to Scotland from England is being considered, as she raised fears Boris Johnson was letting the coronavirus “circulate” south of the border.
The first minister said “all options” would be explored to try to stop a Covid-19 resurgence.
As no new Scottish deaths were recorded for the fourth day in a row, Ms Sturgeon also took a swipe at the prime minister’s coronavirus strategy.
At her daily coronavirus briefing, she also said the Scottish Government is still considering its response to Mr Johnson’s plans to create “air bridges”, allowing holidaymakers to fly to some European countries without having to quarantine for 14 days when they come back.
She revealed the air bridges – or air corridors – proposals were announced last week without consultation with the Scottish Government.
She also said quarantine measures could become “more important” in Scotland as the infection rate falls north of the border.
Although border control is under Westminster control, Ms Sturgeon pointed out quarantine measures were part of public health, which is devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
When asked about the possibility of people travelling from elsewhere in the UK north of the border having to quarantine, Ms Sturgeon replied there are no plans “right now” but nothing was being ruled out.
She said the issue should not be viewed through the “prism” of the Scottish constitutional debate, claiming it would be informed by public health considerations.
But she asked people to look at other areas of the world, like New York and New Jersey, where travellers were being asked to quarantine if coming from Covid hotspots. She said similar arrangements were in force in Germany’s Landers.
Ms Sturgeon expressed further frustration with the lack of communication with the UK Government when she revealed there had not been a Cobra emergency committee meeting “for weeks”, a state of affairs she described as “regrettable”.
Her failure to rule out quarantine for people travelling to Scotland from the rest of the UK angered Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw.
He said: “The first minister needs to rule out any attempt to close off Scotland from the rest of the UK.
“While it may be that localised lockdowns will be needed to deal with individual flare-ups over the months ahead, they should be handled as such.”