Covid-19: Dubai placed on Scotland’s mandatory quarantine list

Beginning from 4am on Monday, January 11, anyone arriving from Dubai to Scotland must quarantine for 10 days, according to a new rule issued by the Scottish authorities.

An update on the Scottish government website adds that passengers who have travelled to Scotland from Dubai since January 3 are also being asked to isolate for 10 days, starting from the date they arrived back in the country.

It added that “the change is due to a number of positive cases identified in passengers who have flown into Glasgow from Dubai since the new year.”

It said that this decision was a “preventative action” which addresses the increase in the number of cases testing positive in Scotland.

Scottish transport secretary Michael Matheson explained the reason the decision was made, saying, “Imposing quarantine requirements on those arriving in the UK is our first defence in managing the risk of imported cases from communities with high risks of transmission. That is why we have made the decision to remove Dubai from the country exemptions list.”

International travel restrictions have been updated.

Travellers returning from Dubai must quarantine on arrival in Scotland for 10 days from 4 am on Monday (11th Jan).

Remember, no-one is allowed to travel into or out of Scotland unless it is for an essential purpose.

— Michael Matheson MSP (@MathesonMichael) January 10, 2021

He added that irrespective of whether a country is on the put onto the quarantine list, travel into or out of Scotland is not permitted unless it is for essential purposes.

All international travellers arriving into Scotland, apart from a very limited number of individual exemptions, must complete a passenger locator form on arrival in the UK.

Read: UAE, Bahrain added to UK travel corridor removing 14-day quarantine for travellers

This includes people arriving from countries where quarantine is not required. Individuals who do not complete the form and present it when asked on arrival may be fined GBP60. The fine can double for each subsequent offence up to a maximum of GBP480. Also the government added that failure to comply with the requirement to quarantine may result in a fine of more than GBP480.

Starting later this week, all international travellers, with very limited exceptions, arriving into England and Scotland by air, land or sea will need to undergo a Covid-19 PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before departure, and present the negative result upon request, with failure to do so possibly attracting an on-the-spot fine of GBP500.