UK's devolved administrations aligned on new travel restrictions
James ChappleScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will align with the new travel rules set out by the UK government at the weekend, designed to guard against the import and spread of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Ten southern African countries were added to the UK’s red list at the weekend, chiefly South Africa, while Day 2 PCR testing will return from 4am on Tuesday (30 November). Arrivals will have to isolate until the receive the result of their test.
Three cases of Omicron have so far been detected in England, while the Scottish government revealed on Monday morning (29 November) it had identified six – four in the Lanarkshire area, and two in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde region.
Scotland’s health secretary Humza Yousaf on Saturday (27 November) confirmed that following discussions with UK counterpart Sajid Javid and the other devolved administrations Scotland would align with the new border restrictions set out by the UK government.
"These measures will be introduced as soon as possible and kept under constant review," said Yousaf. "However, we reserve the right to go further if necessary. We are also adopting the expanded red list of countries identified by the UK government. This will also be kept under review."
Yousaf added the move came in light of the "well known practical reasons for preferring a UK wide approach to travel restrictions".
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We will be introducing the same measures on international travel as those announced this afternoon by the UK government and the other devolved governments.
“Welsh ministers will continue to meet this evening and over the weekend to monitor the situation in Wales and decide whether any further immediate action is required to protect public health.”
In a statement, the Northern Ireland Executive added: "It is the Department of Health’s intention to align Northern Ireland with the rest of the UK on PCR testing and self-isolation requirements for new arrivals."
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