New Covid-19 quarantine rules for travellers in and out of Scotland the rest of the UK won’t affect Rangers’ upcoming Europa League clash with Belgian side Royal Antwerp.
There were fears Rangers and other British sides may be affected after both Scotland and the UK introduced a mandatory 10-day quarantine for anyone entering the country.
Anyone entering Scotland from February 15th will have to spend a 10-day quarantine in an airport hotel at the cost of £1750 per head [BBC Scotland].
Similar rules have been introduced in England but the quarantine only applies to the 33 countries on the “red list” which has been established by the UK government [Sky].
There was some confusion regarding the wording of the new Scottish proposals, which only allow Olympians are Paralympians abroad for elite overseas training camps.
But according to BBC Scotland journalist Chris McLaughlin the move will not affect Rangers or the Scotland rugby team who’re planning a trip to Paris for the Six Nations.
“Tightening of overseas quarantine rules won’t affect Rangers travelling to play Antwerp or Scotland’s trip to Paris in the Six Nations – but new laws only allow elite overseas training camps for athletes preparing for Olympics and Paralympics,” said McLaughlin.
This means Rangers will not have to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival back from Belgium, provided they get permission to travel from the Belgian authorities.
UEFA have also introduced a range of new Covid-19 protocols for clubs in the knockout stages of the Europa League and the Champions League should the pandemic become an issue between clubs.
We’ve already seen this in the case of Liverpool, where Germany have refused the Premier League giants the right to travel to play RB Leipzig with the match being rearranged in Budapest.
The UEFA guidelines include rules on the alteration of matches, dates by which they must be completed, and establish which team is liable for ensuring the games can be played.
