People travelling to Highlands will be fined unless they return home
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People travelling to the Highlands – whether to tourist destinations or second homes – will be told to go home or face a fine.
This was emphasised in a letter to Jamie Stone MP from Nigel Huddleston, the UK's under secretary of state for sport, tourism and heritage.
Mr Stone had written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressing his concerns over the number of people retreating to the Highlands in an attempt to avoid coronavirus.
Mr Huddleston replied: "The UK government and Scottish Government have made it clear that people should avoid all non-essential travel.
"This means that people should not visit second homes, self-catered accommodation, campsites, caravan parks or similar, whether for isolation purposes or holidays. People who have recently arrived at a holiday destination or second home should look to return to their primary residence as soon as possible, but only if they can do so safely and in compliance with the social distancing guidance. Every citizen is instructed to follow the social distancing rules and the government will enforce them.
"The police will issue fines to anyone who does not comply."
Following on from this, Mr Stone wrote to Scottish justice minister Humza Yousaf saying: "This is where your responsibility as Scotland’s justice minister becomes crucial. If these people are to be forced to return to their primary homes as soon as possible, then Police Scotland will need to have the clear power to direct them to do so – something they tell me that they do not presently have.
"Therefore on behalf of my constituents, who are rightly fearful of visitors bringing the Covid 19 virus to the Highlands and Islands, I ask you to outline what plans you have to speedily give Police Scotland the powers that they so clearly require."
This week two residents in Bonar Bridge voiced their anger about people decamping to their second homes in the area.
Michael Baird said: "Having seen Dr Catherine Calderwood resign over her ruling of not visiting second homes and lodges it is blatantly obvious that the authorities do not know how to handle the Hooray Henries.
"Londoners are in Invercharron and Hooray Henries are in a property outside Bonar Bridge that has six bedrooms and six bathrooms and sleeps 16.
"Ninety per cent of us obey the isolation rules why should others have the power to do otherwise?"
And a "concerned resident" said: "During these challenging times that we are all living in and having to abide by the strict lockdown rules as laid out by are government, I think it is totally selfish and unbelievable that a couple who normally reside in London have taken it upon themselves to drive up from London yesterday to stay in their holiday home at Migdale, Bonar Bridge.
"Here we are all abiding by the rules in the Highlands and keeping Covid 19 at bay and being praised by the authorities for sticking to the rules and now we have outsiders totally flaunting the rules for self benefit by coming up here to an area with limited resources to fight this terrible disease.
"I and others really believe it's now time to name and shame these selfish individuals.
"To come here from anywhere at the present time is not acceptable but to come from the epicentre of this pandemic is totally unacceptable and unbelievable."
