Kirsty Mckenzie
SCOTLAND will join with the rest of the UK in implementing a ‘traffic light system’ for international travel from next week.
From Monday, May 17, Scots will be able to travel overseas for holidays for the first time since December – but will still face quarantine if they travel to Spain.
Countries worldwide have been sorted into a list depending on their infection rate and labled as either green, amber, or red.
On Friday, UK transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the 12 countries and territories on the green list of the traffic light system and the First Minister confirmed they were the same for Scotland.
But Spain has been snubbed from the green list and placed in amber – meaning UK travellers will have to do tests on three separate occasions – once before departure, twice after arrival and isolate in a place of their choosing for 10 days.
Greece and USA – both popular destinations with UK holidaymakers – joined Spain on the amber list.
Travellers returning from green countries will be able to jet off from May 17 without quarantine, however, they must take a pre-departure test.
The UK’s green list destinations are Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Singapore, Brunei, Iceland, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, the Faroe Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and St Helena, Tristan de Cunha, Ascension Island.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also announced the three counties currently on the red list, visits to which require managed isolation in a quarantine hotel for ten days at the cost of £1750 for a solo traveller.
Those red list destinations are Turkey, Nepal and the Maldives.
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