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PM rejects First Ministers’ plea for tougher travel restrictions
The First Ministers of Scotland and Wales urged Boris Johnson to beef up travel restrictions.
Nicola Sturgeon, and Mark Drakeford wanted increased quarantine times and more testing for new arrivals in the wake of growing infections of Omicron across the UK.
All inbound travellers should quarantine for eight days and take a Day 8 PCR test in addition to the Day 2 test, Sturgeon said.
"The emergence of Omicron poses a potential threat to the UK. It is clear that the strain is already here and that it appears highly transmissible," Sturgeon and Drakeford wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister.
"We need to work collectively – and effectively. We are clear that a four nations approach to issues such as border restrictions is the most effective approach. This requires that a meeting of the Cobra committee be held as soon as possible."
However the PM’s office rejected it, citing a ‘detrimental effect on the travel industry.’
Scotland has recorded nine Omicron cases so far, with Sturgeon saying community transmission is already happening as some have not travelled overseas.
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