On 4 July 2020, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its global advisory against all but essential travel, exempting some countries that no longer pose an unacceptably high risk for British travellers against coronavirus (COVID-19).

The fitfortravel (for the general public) and TRAVAX (for health professionals) country pages have been updated to include a COVID-19 country specific risk-rating, with every country being identified as high, moderate or low risk and each rating accompanied by appropriate travel advice. This information will be listed in the ‘Alerts’ section on each country page of fitfortravel and the 'Emerging Health Risks' section of every TRAVAX country page. The risk-rating is based on a robust public health assessment of the COVID-19 risks for travellers to each country, and will be regularly reviewed. However, as the global spread of COVID-19 can change at any time, travellers are advised to consider the advice below before planning international travel.

It should be noted that the risk ratings for Aruba, Austria, France, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Spain, Belgium, Andorra, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Iceland, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos islands, Cyprus, Denmark, Faroe islands, Germany, Japan, the Bahamas, Italy, French Polynesia, Croatia, Trinidad and Tobago and Portugal have recently been upgraded, reflecting an increase of cases in these countries.

Advice for travellers

Before planning and/or booking international travel, please check:

• the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) website, for country specific Travel Advisory Notices regarding travel and entry restrictions, and review the local medical care available at your destination 
• the COVID-19 risk-rating at your destination, which will be listed in the ‘Alerts’ section of all fitfortravel country pages and the ‘Emerging Health Risks’ section of all TRAVAX country pages 
• the TRAVAX travel insurance page, as such insurance should be considered essential 
• the UK Border Control website, in order to check current rules regarding self-isolation (quarantine) before your planned return to the UK 
• the fitfortravel COVID-19 health considerations for travel page 
• physical distancing and hygiene measures in the country you are visiting

Information relating to travel and COVID-19 is available on the TRAVAX (for healthcare practitioners) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites.

Information on COVID-19 for the general public is available on the NHS Inform (Scotland) and the NHS.UK (rest of the UK) websites.

Information and resources on COVID-19 for health professionals is available on the Health Protection Scotland (HPS) (Scotland) and Public Health England (PHE) (rest of the UK) websites.

Source: TRAVAX, July 2020

The health authority in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia has confirmed that 11 cases of West Nile virus have been detected in the towns of Puebla del Rio and Coria del Rio in Seville province. Both towns are situated on the banks of the slow moving Guadalquivir river, and the 42,000 inhabitants of both towns have been advised to do all they can to avoid contact with mosquitoes.

Advice for travellers 

• There is no vaccine against West Nile virus. 
• Mosquito bite avoidance should be practiced at all times, especially during peak transmission times and when outbreaks are known to be occurring. 
• Outbreaks of West Nile virus will be listed on the destination pages of the TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites. 
• Medical advice can be sought if symptoms develop, following travel to a risk area. 
• Blood donors should note that if they have travelled to an area where West Nile virus has been detected in the past four months, they may need to be tested for the virus before donating blood. All travel must be mentioned to the blood transfusion service so that they can determine whether a test is required. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has produced a leaflet which details information about blood donation after travel.

Further advice and information is available on the TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites.

Source: TRAVAX, 19 August 2020

World Water Week takes place between 24 to 28 August 2020, and is organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). World Water Week aims to be a collaborative learning experience, providing a forum and opportunity to facilitate the exchange of views, experiences, and practices between scientific, business, policy and civil societies.

To help bridge the gap between the 2019 and 2021 World Water Weeks, the SIWI are inviting people to ‘WWWeek At Home’, a campaign that aims to bring together convenor-hosted, virtual adaptations of sessions on water and climate change originally destined for World Water Week 2020. The full programme of events and registration details are available on the SIWI website.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has published a brochure summarising their work on digitalisation and occupational safety and health (OSH). The brochure details a foresight project, a major OSH overview and Healthy Workplaces Campaign, and explores the potential offered by digitalisation and how this is shaping working lives and workers’ safety and health. Further, the challenges for OSH and how these can be addressed to maximise the opportunities of digital technologies, including improving working conditions, are considered.

Source: EU-OSHA, 18 August 2020

The management and disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Scotland is currently carried out in-line with the Environmental Protection (Disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and other Dangerous Substances) (Scotland) Regulations 2000. Following a recast of the EU legislation on Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation (EU) 2019/1021, it is necessary to comply with a lower threshold for PCB contamination, with 0.005% PCBs by weight and a volume of 0.05 dm3 the new maximum acceptable level. Any equipment which does not comply with the new thresholds is required to be removed from use by 31 December 2025 under EU law.

The proposed regulations aim to ensure the protection of human health and the environment from potential long-term and serious consequences associated with uncontrolled dispersive releases of PCBs from ageing electrical equipment. The consultation is open until 16 August 2020 and responses can be completed online.

Source: Scottish Government, 19 August 2020