Sturgeon: ‘I would not book a foreign holiday right now’
● First Minister dampens hope of quarantine compensation ● Pubs and restaurants could be closed down if standards slip ● New Scottish child benefit payment set to be delayed
Nicola Sturgeon has said she would not personally book a foreign holiday given the “inherent unpredictability” of the spread of coronavirus, as she dampened expectations of compensation for those affected by the sudden reintroduction of quarantine on travellers from Spain.
The First Minister yesterday reiterated her warning that countries presently exempt from quarantine restrictions may not always be so if there is a spike in Covid cases as questions continued to be asked about government decisions on the revoking of Spain’s status.
When pressed about potential compensation for people who booked holidays in Spain only to find they would now have to spend 14 days in quarantine on their return, with the potential loss of earnings it could cause, she refused to commit to the suggestion.
Spain, which was approved as a “green route” country by the Scottish Government last Thursday, suddenly
had its grading for quarantine-free travel revoked at midnight on Saturday after a spike in Covid-19 cases in the Catalonia region. The move also took in the islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, despite no new spikes in cases there.
As a result, demands have been growing for Scots, who flew to Spain believing there would be no quarantine on their return, to receive compensation for any loss of income.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who has also called for the Government to publish the science behind its decisions, said: “The decision to reimpose the quarantine on travellers just three days after it had been lifted was shambolic and avoidable as there was evidence of a surge in cases in Spain.
“Now we need some practical solutions to support those travellers who jumped at the opportunity to go to Spain only to find themselves facing a fortnight off work in isolation. For many this could mean a significant loss of income.”
He added: “The people who need help are those who left for holiday to Spain last week because they were told by the Scottish Government there would be no requirement to quarantine on their return.
“The Scottish Government should put in place a hotline to help workers directly affected and whose employers cannot afford to have them off work. The reduction in earnings imposed by going onto statutory sick pay can be huge at a time when household incomes are strained. The Scottish Government need to take responsibility for their error and ensure that people are supported.”
However, at the Scottish Government’s Covid briefing, Ms Sturgeon said she had been clear the situation was unpredictable when the quarantine restrictions were first lifted.
She said: “Just because a country looks to be exempt from quarantine when you come home, do not assume that won’t change. As we saw with Spain last week, it might change at very short notice. You also can’t be sure the country you’re going to won’t change its own internal regulations while you’re there if it has a spike in cases. That leads me to pretty much advise to be very cautious about foreign travel because it is very unpredictable.”
On the potential for a compensation scheme, she added: “It’s not something I want to give people an expectation of, though we will consider all suggestions made to us, but I don’t want to raise people’s expectations.
“I know this is really tough. These decisions are not easy and I know people who bear the consequences of these decisions find it tough too. But there’s an inherent unpredictability and uncertainty in everything we’re dealing with because we’re dealing with a virus which doesn’t do what we’d like it to.
“I continue to say to people be very cautious about foreign travel that’s not essential. I wouldn’t be booking a foreign holiday right now.”
Asked about publishing the scientific advice on lifting the quarantine on Spanish travellers last week, Ms Sturgeon said: “I would like it to be published. The Scottish Government doesn’t own this data, it’s shared with us. It’s UK Government-owned data. It’s not ours to publish. We’ve asked the UK Government to consider publication and we continue to press that point.
“The more of the factors and data and different things underpinning our decisions we’re able to share with the public, the more understanding and buy-in you can get, so we do hope we get to a situation where this data is published. Last week I was very clear to people, that notwithstanding what the regulations say, you cannot assume that won’t change at short notice and unfortunately that has been borne out by the situation in Spain. I continue to say to people ... right now be very cautious about foreign travel that’s not essential.”