THE rules on pre-departure testing for travellers entering Scotland have been changed.

Fully-vaccinated travellers returning to Scotland from abroad will no longer have to take pre-departure Covid tests or self-isolate upon arrival until they have received a negative result.

The change in rules came into effect at 4am this morning. (Friday 7 January2022)

Travellers are still required to take a test on or before day two after arriving in the UK, which can be a lateral flow device rather than a PCR test. This rule comes into effect from 4am on Sunday morning.

Anyone who tests positive on their lateral flow test will need to isolate and take a free confirmatory PCR test.

The new measures apply across the UK after agreement between the UK Government and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Transport secretary Michael Matheson said: “Given the rapid spread of Omicron last year it was essential that we took immediate steps to protect public health in Scotland, particularly with regards to international travel.

“We still have significant concerns over Omicron, but we recognise that, now it is the most dominant strain in Scotland and across the UK, it is sensible to review the measures currently in place.

“We also fully understand the impact of the restrictions on staff and businesses in the travel and aviation sectors and these changes demonstrate our commitment not to keep measures in place any longer than necessary.

“However, people still need to be extremely careful when travelling and to remember that both our and other countries’ Covid-19 requirements can change at short notice as things can evolve very quickly.

“People should therefore ensure they have travel insurance and carefully check their booking terms and conditions, as well as ensuring compliance with the latest regulations for the country being visited.”