THE Scottish Government has launched an investigation into the hotel quarantine system after arrivals from the US were “wrongly advised” to quarantine due to a loophole in new rules.
Chun Wong and his daughter Kiernan, eight, arrived at Edinburgh airport yesterday after getting a connecting flight from Dublin.
Wong said he was "all for" the quarantine and would do "whatever it takes" to stop the spread of the coronavirus. He also said he had already received his Covid-19 vaccination.
However, Wong was contacted by officials later to tell him he did not need to abide by the rules.
READ MORE: One of Scotland's first arrivals happy to do 'whatever it takes' under quarantine rules
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are looking into the circumstances that led to Mr Wong being wrongly advised he needed to book a managed isolation package and would like to thank the family for their patience.
“This is a very new system, being implemented at pace, and some initial challenges are to be expected.
“However, once the error was identified, the family were contacted and advised they could make alternative arrangements for their self-isolation period.
“We are following up with the travel management company to ensure a full refund is provided to Mr Wong.”
People flying directly into a Scottish airport on international flights have to self-isolate for 10 days in a quarantine hotel room, under new regulations taking effect on Monday.
Unless exempt, a passenger will have to pay £1750 to quarantine in a room at one of six designated hotels in a bid to avoid importation of the virus.
In England, the UK Government will only require hotel quarantine for visitors from a “red list” of 33 countries designated as high risk, meaning travellers arriving from elsewhere could avoid it by entering Scotland via England.
It also applies to those flying from the common travel area, which includes Ireland.
Visitors would still have to self-isolate for the 10-day period, but would not have to do so at one of the designated hotels due to a lack of agreement between Scottish and Westminster governments.
READ MORE: Common Travel Area quarantine loophole 'doesn't make sense', virus expert says
It is understood the pair were the first to be taken to a hotel for quarantine in Scotland.
Wong told the BBC: “I received a call from reception saying a gentleman from the airport would like to talk to me.
“He said that since I landed in Dublin first and then got a connecting flight to here, I was not required to quarantine in a hotel.
“I still have to quarantine and do the self-testing kit on the second and eighth day, but they said it was an error on their part.”
Wong added he could have left the hotel on Monday night, but decided to stay the night as he was tired.
He departed the hotel with his daughter on Tuesday afternoon.
Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, told the BBC: “What appears to have happened in the case of the Wong family is that there’s exemptions for those who come from within the Common Travel Area.
“So that means that if somebody is coming via Ireland at the moment, that is the Common Travel Area and those people are not required to quarantine now."
She added: "While I have huge sympathy for this family, just to emphasise, the fact that they’ve stopped for a few hours in Dublin means that the rules don’t apply, that doesn’t make sense to me from a public health perspective.
“This system is new, it’s just been set up, it’s been set up with haste and I think we’re going to hear much more from Scottish Government and others about what is the strategy, who is exempt and who is included and how will we make it more comprehensive in the future.”
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