The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 16) Regulations 2021

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (“the International Travel Regulations”). They come into force at 4.00 a.m. on 30 August 2021.

Regulation 3 amends the list of exempt countries, territories or parts of countries or territories in schedule A1 of the International Travel Regulations. With effect from 4.00 a.m. on 30 August 2021, the Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland will be added to that list. Persons arriving in Scotland at or after that time, having departed from or travelled through any of those countries or territories in the preceding 10 days, will no longer be required to quarantine at specified premises in accordance with regulation 6 of those Regulations, nor will they be required to take a test for coronavirus on day 8 after their arrival in Scotland.

Regulation 4 amends the list of acute risk countries, territories or parts of countries or territories in schedule A2 of the International Travel Regulations. With effect from 4.00 a.m. on 30 August 2021, Montenegro and Thailand will be added to that list. Persons arriving in Scotland at or after that time, having departed from or travelled through either of those countries in the preceding 10 days, must enter Scotland at a designated port, book a managed self-isolation package and quarantine in designated accommodation in accordance with regulations 6A and 6B of those Regulations (unless an exemption in regulation 7A applies).

Regulation 5 amends the list of specified competitions in Part 1 of schedule 3A of the International Travel Regulations. It adds further events for the purposes of the elite sport exemption (from self-isolation requirements) under paragraph 38 of schedule 2 of those Regulations. They include competitions in golf, darts, marathon running, motorsport, mountain biking, badminton, squash, trail running and windsurfing.

Regulation 6 makes saving provision to the effect that a person arriving in Scotland on or after 8 June 2020, but before these Regulations come into force, must comply with the International Travel Regulations as they had effect at the time of the person’s arrival in Scotland. The amendments made by these Regulations apply only in relation to persons arriving in Scotland at or after 4.00 a.m. on 30 August 2021.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument.