SCOTLAND hasn't been able to conduct any checks that new arrivals in Scotland are actually quarantining because the UK Home Office did not allow access to the necessary data, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has said.
Freeman said Public Health Scotland officials had been unable to access the Home Office system to check on people who had flown into airports north of the Border, but the issue was now being resolved.
Those returning from abroad are currently required to quarantine themselves for two weeks.
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Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland show, she said: "We had to have our Public Health Scotland officials security cleared in order to access the Home Office systems.
"That's the system you need to access to get passenger data - in order to protect people's data.
"That has been resolved and those follow-up calls will begin this week."
No follow-up checks have been carried out north of the border, despite Public Health England calling a random sample of arrivals to ensure they were sticking to the rules.
The Health Secretary said these calls would begin in Scotland in the coming days.
She said Public Health England was already a part of the Home Office system while the equivalent agency in Scotland was not.
Commenting on the story, Scots Tory leader Jackson Carlaw simply tweeted: "Staggering."
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The public, including prominent independence campaigners such as David Hooks, were quick to point out that the delay was due to the UK Home Office, and not Holyrood.
Separately, the Scottish Government is due to announce its decision on "air bridges" with other countries in the coming days.
This would allow holidaymakers returning from certain countries to avoid the 14-day quarantine period.
The Scottish and UK Governments have been at odds over the issue, with the First Minister accusing officials of "shambolic" decision-making.
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