Edinburgh parents caught by quarantine after holidays in Spain 'should not face fines' if children miss reopening of schools

Call for pragmatic approach on non-attendance

The 14-day quarantine for travellers returning from Spain came back into force from midnight on Saturday

FAMILIES in Edinburgh who are forced to quarantine after a holiday in Spain should be given an assurance by the council they will not be fined for failing to send their children to school on the first day back, an opposition councillor has said.

With pupils due to return to class in just over two weeks after more than four months of Covid lockdown, it means that unless families currently in Spain return within the next two days they will not have completed their 14-day quarantine in time for the reopening of schools on August 12.

The quarantine requirement for travellers entering the UK from Spain was reimposed from midnight on Saturday, less than a week after it was lifted by Scotland. The move, agreed by all the UK governments, followed a spike in Covid cases in Spain.

The decision to reimpose quarantine was taken across the UK following a spike in Covid cases in Spain

Edinburgh Tory education spokesman Callum Laidlaw said the council had previously indicated It would not expect people to go on holiday to countries which did not have an “air bridge” with Scotland to avoid having to quarantine.

But he said: “It’s very unfortunate if you’ve made a decision to go on a pre-booked holiday believing that air bridge was in place and you could get back and then find the situation has changed.”

And he urged the council to assure parents they would not face fines for their children’s non-attendance.

He said: “We need to be conscious that places both at home and abroad that people may have planned to visit could see a change to the regulations on return - and that could be Spain or it could be people visiting family in other parts of the UK where there is la local lockdown. I think the council should reassure parents they will not be fined in those circumstances.

“What the council needs to do is ensure people don’t jeopardise the safety of others by feeling they have to break the quarantine period or not self-isolating if they feel they have been in an exposed situation.”

And he said the council should establish if any teachers were also likely to be caught by the situation and factor that into contingency plans.

People currently on holiday in Spain have been encouraged to follow the local rules, return home as normal and check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s travel advice pages on gov.uk for further information.

The FCO is advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain, but is not advising those already travelling in Spain to leave.Abta, the UK’s travel trade association, advised customers in the country to continue their holidays and return as normal. It said those due to travel to the country imminently should contact their travel provider.

City education convener Ian Perry said: “The health and safety of our staff and pupils is of the utmost importance and we would ask everyone to continue to follow coronavirus government guidance including FCO travel advice and stay at home where necessary to keep everyone safe.”

CALL TO PUBLISH EVIDENCE BEHIND QUARANTINE DECISION

NICOLA Sturgeon has been urged to provide the evidence behind the “shambolic” decision to remove the exemption of quarantine rules from Spain.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said she should publish the data that led to Saturday’s decision, just three days after the country was given exemption.

The decision was taken amid rising numbers of Covid cases in Spain, meaning some travellers would have to quarantine for two weeks when they returned.

Ms Sturgeon had urged caution over booking holidays abroad on Wednesday, warning the quarantine rules could change at short notice.In a letter to the First Minister, Mr Rennie, said: “This is now a shambolic situation and there is a big question as to how Scottish ministers have made such poor-quality decisions.

“Why did you release the quarantine from Spain when the infection rate was many times higher than when you imposed the quarantine? If it was not safe to lift the quarantine measures three weeks ago, how had it been judged safe to do so earlier this week?”

After the decision, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The decision to exempt Spain earlier this week was taken when the data showed there was an improvement in the spread of the virus. But clearly the latest data has given us cause for concern to overturn that.”

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