English gyms and pools open amid warnings of collapse
Spain was put back on the quarantine list for Scottish holidaymakers yesterday after the country reported a spike in coronavirus cases.
The Scottish Government reimposed restrictions on Spain at midnight after the country saw a rise in Covid-19 cases.
Travellers returning from Scotland to Spain will now have to selfisolate for 14 days.
Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days and authorities warn the country could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said:
“The decision to exempt Spain earlier this week was taken when the data showed there was an improvement in the spread of the virus.
“But clearly the latest data has given us cause for concern to overturn that decision. We appreciate that this will be disappointing.
“However, we have always been clear we are closely monitoring the pandemic situation in all countries and that we may require to remove a country from the list of places exempt from quarantine requirements should the virus show a resurgence.
He added: “It is still active and it is still deadly.
“Suppressing the virus, preventing it from being transmitted and protecting public health is our priority.
“It is still active and it is still deadly. Suppressing the virus, preventing it from being transmitted and protecting public health is our priority.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “My advice is to be cautious about non-essential foreign travel.”
Gyms and swimming pools were allowed to open in England yesterday as the leisure industry warned of collapse post-lockdown.
However, only a fifth of pools opened as the head of the national governing body for swimming said thousands could shut for good unless the Government intervenes.
Gyms and pools in Scotland are not expected to open for several weeks, with some councils planning to reopen toward the end of August. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week postponed a decision on further lockdown relaxations to protect the reopening of schools.
Jane Nickerson, chief executive of Swim England, said that, even before Covid-19 struck, 40% of the country’s ageing pool stock was facing closure before the end of the decade. She said: “We know every single pool returns around £7.2 million in community benefits
– in social cohesion, crime prevention, education attainment and health benefits.
“So a little bit of support now from the Government will have its payback within months.
Community Leisure UK, the members’ association that represents charitable leisure and culture trusts across England, Scotland and Wales, estimates 1,300 public leisure facilities could disappear by the end of the year, along with more than 58,000 jobs.