Scotland lists Jerusalem separately from Israel on COVID-19 travel advisory
Those traveling from Israel to Scotland will now be required to self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival.
By ZACHARY KEYSERPeople walk on a street, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, January 5, 2021.(photo credit: RUSSELL CHEYNE/REUTERS)
The Scottish government posted a foreign travel advisory warning for the Jewish State amid the coronavirus pandemic, with an interesting caveat of distinguishing Jerusalem and Israel as being two separate entities.The advisory was published on Thursday in light of the recent spike of infections in Israel, which has sent the country into its third lockdown.Those traveling from Israel to Scotland will now be required to self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival, as per the new public health rules."Travelers arriving in Scotland from Israel and Jerusalem must now quarantine on arrival for 10 days," the advisory read, noting Israel and Jerusalem separately."A significant increase in cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in these countries[Israel and Jerusalem]as well as a rise in the numbers of cases testing positive, and the associated risk of importation into Scotland, has led to the decisions to remove exemption status," Scotland's government added.Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gregor Smith referred to the South African variant as being the catalyst for the new measures, stating that the "risk associated with the South African variant remains severe, and these measures should remain in place."It is also imperative that anybody who has recently traveled from any of the countries in the region, and their household, should self-isolate for 10 days and follow the guidance laid out by the Scottish Government," he added.The government has previously referenced Jerusalem and Israel as being two separate entities, most recently in its previous travel advisory warning dated November 26, 2020, when Scotland placed travelers from Israel on the quarantine exemption list. The central UK government also adopts this practice."The quarantine exemption applies for Israel in its entirety, and Jerusalem in its entirety," Scotland's November advisory stated. "For the Occupied Palestinian Territories, only East Jerusalem is included in the exemption. The remainder of the Occupied Palestinian Territories are not included."
