Scotland to ease foreign travel Covid-19 testing restrictions

Scotland is to ease coronavirus testing requirements for international travellers, bringing these in line with those in England.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said while the Scottish Government still has “concerns” regarding the change, ministers have “reluctantly concluded that, for practical reasons, alignment with the UK is the best option”.

The decision was made after talks with the aviation sector – which welcomed the move.

The change means predeparture tests for travellers flying to Scotland who are fully vaccinated will be removed.

This means anyone arriving in Scotland from countries which are not on the red list, and who have been fully vaccinated in a country that meets recognised standards of certification, will no longer be required to provide evidence of a negative test result before they travel.

The post-arrival testing regime will also be aligned with that of the UK.

Mr Matheson, pictured, said the Scottish Government is making the change amid concerns Scotland could lose out if it continues to have a stricter approach than England.

To address concerns over the impact of easing the restrictions, the minister said the Scottish Government, along with Public Health Scotland, will consider “implementation of additional public health surveillance around international travel”.

He stressed the intention is for this to be done “at no cost to travellers”.

Edinburgh Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said the change in stance “will be a huge bonus for Scotland’s travel and tourism sector and will provide some muchneeded confidence for people who need and want to travel”.

Derek Provan, chief executive of AGS Airports Ltd, which owns and operates Aberdeen and Glasgow airports, said it is a “welcome step forward”.

Meanwhile, 50 further people have died after testing positive for Covid19 across Scotland.

The number of fatalities is the highest recorded in a day since February 23, when 56 people died having tested positive for the virus. It is the third day in a row deaths are above 30 – with 37 reported on Thursday and 31 on Wednesday.