Travel restrictions and self-isolation (quarantine) rules continue to be enforced in order to help reduce the global spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of the UK public. Within the UK, coronavirus restrictions are gradually being lifted, with timetables having been published for their easing in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Travel is allowed within Scotland, with the exception of travel into or out of Glasgow City, the only local authority to currently be under Level 3 restrictions. As of 24 May 2021, travel from Scotland to Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, and Bolton in England is only allowed for permitted reasons, due to high levels of the B1.617.2 variant in these areas.

Since 17 May 2021, a cautious approach to resuming international travel has resumed for people living in Scotland, England and Wales. The government of Northern Ireland has announced its travel permissions, which came into effect on 24 May 2021.

Currently, anyone entering Scotland from countries on the new international travel green list will not be required to quarantine on arrival, but will have to take a PCR test for COVID-19. The green list is currently the same as that in place for England, but will be subject to review based on Scotland’s specific needs. It should be noted that this system does not indicate which countries are currently allowing UK travellers to enter their country.

Country specific COVID-19 risk

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. This risk-rating is based on a robust public health assessment of the COVID-19 risks for travellers to each country and is regularly reviewed.

Since 18 May 2021, the COVID-19 risk to UK travellers has been increased for: 

• Cambodia 
• Fiji 
• Sri Lanka 
• Timor Leste (East Timor)

Advice for travellers

Prior to booking any international travel, travellers must first check if the country they are travelling to is currently accepting UK travellers. 

• Each country or territory on the FCDO foreign travel advice page provides up-to-date information on their entry rules, in response to coronavirus (COVID-19), under the ‘Entry Requirements’ section. 
• Travellers should be aware that some countries or territories may require proof of COVID-19 vaccination status for entry. For those living in Scotland and England, guidance for demonstrating COVID-19 vaccination status is available. For those living in Wales, the Welsh Government is working with the UK Government to allow access to the NHS app for vaccine certificates, but this service is not available yet. Information on demonstrating COVID-19 vaccination status has yet to be announced for Northern Ireland.

It is advised that travellers are aware of all travel restrictions, self-isolation rules and precautions they should take, in order to reduce their risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) before, during and after travel, as detailed on the fitfortravel website.

On return to the UK, travellers should be aware that quarantine rules differ for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Prior to travel, travellers must ensure they are able to comply with the rules appropriate to the UK nation they will be arriving in and reside in, if different.

Source: TRAVAX, 13 May 2021

The Chief Veterinary Officers from Scotland, England and Wales have advised poultry keepers to remain vigilant after the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) was lifted on 15 May 2021. The mandatory enhanced biosecurity requirements, brought in as part of the AIPZ on 11 November 2020, and the additional biosecurity measures introduced on 31 March 2021, were aimed at protecting flocks from avian influenza circulating in wild birds. The risk of bird flu in poultry with good biosecurity has been reduced to low.

The Scottish Government has advised that the risk to human health from the H5N8 virus strain is low, and the same risk from H5N2, H5N5 and H5N1 virus strains is very low. Food standards bodies also advise that avian influenza poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers, as it does not affect the consumption of poultry products, including eggs.

Source: Scottish Government, 14 May 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report highlighting achievements and gaps in the implementation of the global health sector strategies for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from 2016 to 2021, and outlines key steps needed to eliminate these diseases as a public health threat by 2030.

The report contains new estimates for viral hepatitis and the four main preventable and curable STIs. Most targets had not been reached by 2020, even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. 

• HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections all continue to be major public health threats and account for one million new STIs per day. This results in 2.3 million deaths and 1.2 million cancers per year. 
• New data show that hepatitis B and C caused three million new infections and 1.1 million deaths in 2019. Only 10% of people who have chronic infection with hepatitis B virus were diagnosed, 22% of whom received treatment, while 21% of people with hepatitis C infection were diagnosed, 62% of whom received treatment. 
• With 1.7 million people newly infected with HIV in 2019, HIV incidence fell to its lowest annual number since 1990. However, this remains far below the global target of fewer than 500,000 people newly infected by 2020. 
• New data on STIs show 374 million new cases per year. Other than slow declines in congenital syphilis, the incidence of most other STIs is plateauing, despite ambitious targets.

Source: WHO, 21 May 2021

New guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) sets essential standards to inform future research and development on genetically modified mosquitoes, particularly in addressing issues relating to ethics, safety, affordability and effectiveness. Malaria and other vector-borne diseases, including dengue and Zika, affect millions globally, with more than 400,000 people a year dying from malaria alone.

The WHO state that, if proven safe, effective and affordable, genetically modified vector mosquitoes could be a valuable new tool to fight these diseases and help alleviate their considerable health, social and economic burden. The current strategies available for limiting the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases are only partially effective. New and complementary approaches are needed to close the gaps in current vector control interventions, such as effective control of outdoor biting, and to provide alternatives to manage the increasing threat of insecticide resistance. Research suggests genetically modified mosquitoes could be a powerful and cost-effective tool to supplement existing interventions.

Source: WHO, 19 May 2021

On 19 May 2021, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) published its strategic plan for the next five years. The strategy recognises the need of the organisation to adapt and respond to new challenges, particularly those resulting from the UK’s exit from the EU, COVID-19, and climate change.

Priorities outlined in the plan include: 

• strengthening FSS’s influence over policies to improve Scotland’s diet, with two-thirds of Scots either overweight or obese 
• recognising growing consumer interest in areas such as sustainability 
• making better use of epidemiological and genomic sequencing data to identify the best ways to reduce the burden of foodborne illness

Source: FSS, 19 May 2021

The Food Standards Authority (FSA) has published a scientific report examining information and data from various countries around the world on the production processes for meat and poultry, and the prevalence of several microorganisms.

The research was carried out to help the FSA better understand the international context of imports, and the associated food safety control processes in place for products coming into the UK. Researchers created profiles of 16 countries, including the UK, featuring prevalence data for Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Trichinella, and antimicrobial resistance, alongside descriptions of processes.

The report noted difficulties in attempting direct comparisons between countries, due to significant variance in data collection techniques, such as sampling and testing, and differing applications of control plans throughout the world.

Source: FSA, 18 May 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently launched a year-long global campaign for World No Tobacco Day 2021, under the theme ‘commit to quit’. This campaign aims to support 100 million people worldwide in their attempt to give up tobacco products, using various initiatives and digital solutions. It hopes to help create healthier environments that are conducive to quitting tobacco by: 

• advocating for strong tobacco cessation policies 
• promoting increased access to cessation services 
• raising awareness of tobacco industry tactics 
• empowering tobacco users to make successful attempts to quit through ‘quit and win’ initiatives

Source: WHO, May 2021

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a scientific opinion proposing a new approach to the environmental risk assessment of honey bees. Requested by the European Parliament's Committee for the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), it sets out an integrated, holistic framework for assessing the combined effects of multiple stressors on honey bees.

The EFSA propose a systems-based approach that is composed of two core components, a monitoring system and a modelling system. Key developments in the current scientific opinion, including systematic data collection from sentinel beehives and an agent-based simulation, have the potential to substantially contribute to future development of environmental risk assessments of multiple stressors at larger spatial and temporal scales. For the monitoring, sentinel hives would be placed across representative climatic zones and landscapes in the EU and connected to a platform for data storage and analysis.

The EFSA proposes this approach as a supportive tool for beekeeping, farming, research, and risk assessment and management.

Source: EFSA, 20 May 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report providing an overview of the impacts of the natural environment on human health. The report is written with a focus on the WHO European Region, concentrating on the many ways that nature, biodiversity, and ecosystems can support and protect health and well-being, while also examining how environmental change and loss of biodiversity, from plant and animal species to microbiomes within the human gut, can threaten human health.

The report contains the following key messages: 

• Nature provides the basic conditions for human health. For example, nature can be essential to purify water or regulate air quality, and enables soil formation and food production on land and in seas. 
• The environment protects human health. While nature itself can also present health risks, intact, functioning, and resilient nature can help to mitigate extreme events and effects of natural disasters, and may help limit human exposure to pathogens. 
• Pressure on natural environments threatens human health. Processes such as climate change, resource depletion, and loss of biodiversity contribute to the increasing frequency of extreme events, threaten ecological collapse and affect food systems. Environmental change is also resulting in conflict and displacement of people, with consequent health impacts.

The aim of the report is to inform policy and decision-makers in the health and environment sectors, as well as other sectors involved with the protection, management and use of nature and biodiversity. The report may also be of use to planners seeking ways to benefit from natural and biodiverse environments locally.

Source: WHO, 20 May 2021