Airbridges - will Scotland have separate rules?

[rookiemere]

If air bridges are agreed with some countries, does anyone know if that's for whole of UK or would Scotland be able to do something different regarding quarantine?
I get confused as to what Scotland has control over versus what's centrally decided.

Nope aquamarine Nicola has just said that if you do that you'll still have to quarantine when you get back. Absolutely no idea how that will be enforced though

Nope aquamarine Nicola has just said that if you do that you'll still have to quarantine when you get back. Absolutely no idea how that will be enforced though

Where I'm struggling is to keep track of what is guidance and what is legally enforceable. Quarantining being a good example is it a "have to" or a "should"? I know when first proposed by Westminster there was talk of fines and spot checks but I've no idea if that was ever put into law and if it was does it apply to Scotland's deviation in approach from Westminster? Personally, I think opening the floodgates on foreign holidays at this stage is absolute madness but I'd still like to understand for my own awareness what the legal specifics are.

Going to struggle to enforce, given those of us in North England often use Edinburgh or Glasgow.

They've made such a mess of transport. They've reduced hugely the numbers that can travel on the ferries to the Scottish islands but won't let ferries differentiate between passengers. So it's a lottery if you can get across, they only tell you two weeks before and tourists have got spots when keyworkers cant. Islanders can't leave and family can't go to them.

Thanks @TeenTraumaTrials - like you say, how can they possibly enforce unless guards are stationed at the border?

She said it won't be enforced with fines etc. The rules will be there to protect Scotland if people are travelling back from countries with higher instances of Covid but she's relying on people following the rules not enforcing it by law.

I work in a hospital and have worked like a dog since February without any time off. Because of the SG's delay on this I'm probably going to have to cancel our family holiday which means we'll lose £1000s of pounds. Our flights are still flying so the airline won't cancel. I could cry if I thought it would make any difference.
I don't know why the SG are surprised about the idea of air bridges. I've been following it in the press avidly for the last month.
I can't quarantine for 2 weeks when I return as I have to go back to work.

Nicola seems to believe Scotland is independent. It's not. Devolved some, not independent. She can't control the border.

I’m in England, angry at way UK government mucked everything up. Live in north east England and so jealous of the way that Scotland has kept figures low. Not sure how practical this bit is though.

@Lockdownlooks, perhaps you ought to consider moving to the south east (outside London) or Devon/Cornwall or NI. The rates are just as low. They are higher in the parts of the north, so perhaps it is you...

It can't be enforced as you're in the UK. You fly from London to Glasgow you don't go through immigration/border control. You fly in from outside the UK you go through UK immigration and show your UK passport, not Scottish immigration with a Scottish passport. Scotland is the UK and border control is not devolved so Nicola can't do FA about that.

She is determined to fuck up everyone's summer holidays. We're already a week in. 6 weeks to go. She fannies around with Hamza whatshisname saying that they weren't give enough notice, or need more time to decide, and that Scotland is all special and different. Meanwhile Scottish school holidays come and go, she opens up at the beginning of August just to leave enough time so it looks like she's not following Boris, and it's too late for a fortnight away.

And yes, of course people are just going to fly from Manchester, Newcastle or Liverpool.

As much as she'd love to send tartan clad police to stand at Gretna she hasn't the power to do so. She is so totally determined to fuck the Scottish economy and people to get one over on Boris that it's sickening.

The faithful are lapping up the "keeping us safe" bollocks though.

@DisobedientHamster

It can't be enforced as you're in the UK. You fly from London to Glasgow you don't go through immigration/border control. You fly in from outside the UK you go through UK immigration and show your UK passport, not Scottish immigration with a Scottish passport. Scotland is the UK and border control is not devolved so Nicola can't do FA about that.

But @DisobedientHamster, any good Scottish person would report their neighbour flouting saint Nicola's rules in such a blatant manner! Remember how desperate a lot of people are to snitch on anyone they perceive to be "flouting" rules.

To be fair, NS does seem to know what she's doing (obvs no direct experience). I remember at the last election wishing that SNP had fielded a few candidates in Kent.

@lockdownlooks Come join us when we gain independence from WM 😉

@SockYarn

She is determined to fuck up everyone's summer holidays. We're already a week in. 6 weeks to go. She fannies around with Hamza whatshisname saying that they weren't give enough notice, or need more time to decide, and that Scotland is all special and different. Meanwhile Scottish school holidays come and go, she opens up at the beginning of August just to leave enough time so it looks like she's not following Boris, and it's too late for a fortnight away.

And yes, of course people are just going to fly from Manchester, Newcastle or Liverpool.

As much as she'd love to send tartan clad police to stand at Gretna she hasn't the power to do so. She is so totally determined to fuck the Scottish economy and people to get one over on Boris that it's sickening.

The faithful are lapping up the "keeping us safe" bollocks though.

It does seem that way now. She seems to like to wait a fortnight then do the exact same thing as england. I wondee what she will do re. The list of countries with no quarantine in england. Will she just announce exact same list in 2 weeks? And if it differs she'll have to explain why. Seems to me she is making life harder for herself unnecessarily but maybe her supporters like it.

So, if it's unenforceable, can we fly from Scotland on holiday? Cos I would book today if so.

But surely to God one of the biggest risks in terms of COVID is people all crammed together on a plane, in holiday resorts, then coming home. I don't think foregoing a foreign holiday for one year will be too much of a hardship. The numbers in Scotland are very low but the numbers in England are not. And I love a foreign holiday.

The requirement to quarantine is law, not just a request. You could be fined £480 for non-compliance. www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-public-health-checks-at-borders/pages/self-isolation/

Whether you fly to England or Scotland, you will have to fill in a passenger locator form, indicating where you are planning to stay for 14 days after your arrival. You still have to fill in this form even if you arrive from a country that is on the list of exemptions. I personally struggle to believe that they would find out if you fill in a false English address and then travel to Scotland, but technically you would be breaking the law and you could be fined.

Quarantining being a good example is it a "have to" or a "should"? I know when first proposed by Westminster there was talk of fines and spot checks but I've no idea if that was ever put into law

It is a "have to" and yes, there are fines.. UK Gov info is here:

www.gov.uk/uk-border-control

"If you’re a resident or visitor travelling to the UK, you must:

provide your journey and contact details
not leave the place you’re staying for the first 14 days you’re in the UK except in very limited situations (known as ‘self-isolating’)
You may be fined up to £100 if you refuse to provide your contact details. You may be fined more if you break this rule more than once. You may also be fined up to £1,000 if you refuse to self-isolate, or you could face further action"

Obviously this is fast changing, and TBH I get the impression that little if any checking is going on..

I was reading that so far 2 fines were issued at the border (people who didn't want to fill out a card, I take it), and no fines afterwards.
With the quarantine is lifted from most countries I doubt anyone will be required to fill a card.

Samseaborne it is possible to go abroad without flying. As soon as it seemed pretty much confirmed that these air bridges were happening, our friends booked the Eurotunnel to France. They will be driving and then staying in a self catering apartment, in a country with a much lower rate of infection than England. They won't go if they have to quarantine when they come back as feel it wouldn't be fair on the DCs who have started seeing their friends.

Latest announcement is that Scotland needs to consider the countries a bit more carefully before they cautiously make plans. As if they don't know - like everyone who reads an online paper or BBC knows -what the UK position is for every single country that's being looked at.

It's an absolute mess, and whilst I have some sympathy with her desire not to reopen completely, she needs to make a definitive decision sharpish so that people are either able to go or cancel and receive refunds on holidays that may have been booked up to a year ago.

The problem is that it's very difficult to say 'if you're heading on a villa holiday you can go, if you're staying in a studio apartment in a crowded resort you can't.' Believe me, I am desperate for things to get back to normal, as definitely one of the common sense brigade. I'm also a teacher who will not get a holiday during my 6 week break this year, but I just think it's too early for full European travel to be opened. I'm concerned some other countries don't have any control at all of their numbers, and seem to be lacking any real plan.

Driving from Scotland isn't really an option though, is it? We had a week in the south of France last year. A quick google tells me the drive would be 2000km and 18 hours non-stop driving. 2 days there, 2 days back. Even just to Dover is 8 hours in the car.

Or you hop on a flight to Nice/Paris/Marseille and are there in 2 hours.

I'm not a great fan of driving sockyarn but our friends are used to it and have booked a premier inn to break the journey each way .

It's all a bit of a mess, I'm not even 100% sure that English people are allowed to stay in Scottish holiday homes, or will feel very welcome if they do.

@SockYarn I'm cool with driving. Used to do it regularly en famille down to the south west so a wee trip near Calais will be fine.