Pressure is increasing on the Scottish Government to perform a U-turn and release seafarers stranded in a quarantine hotel.
About 25 offshore workers had been told they were heading home to spend quality time with family when they returned to Scotland on Friday – but were instead sent straight to isolation after arriving hours before exemption rules were updated.
Meanwhile, colleagues from England were allowed to return home.
While the exemption was applied by the UK Government on Friday, it did not come into force in Scotland until 4am on Saturday.
Grant Bowman, 46, from Alness, was said he has almost been tempted to face the repercussions for simply walking out of the hotel, such is his mounting frustration. The subsea engineer was among a group returning from Angola on Friday who have been holed up since the weekend in the Hampton by Hilton at Edinburgh Airport.
Mr Bowman said: “It is a mess. England, Wales and Ireland are OK, the websites are updated to say seafarers can travel home from leave no problem.
“But for some reason the Scottish Government seem to be sticking their heels in. I was hoping they would change their mind but I don’t think they are
going to.
“I honestly felt like walking out of here on Sunday. There is nothing stopping me from walking out but, if I left, the hotel would have to report me for leaving without permission.
“I don’t want to cause hassle for my family. I just wish the Scottish Government would sort themselves out and follow the rest of the country.”
Mr Bowman received a letter from the UK Chamber of Shipping last week stating the UK Department of Transport had announced all seafarers, irrespective of nationality, would be exempt from mandatory quarantine restrictions as of Friday.
But over the weekend the Scottish Government insisted the trade association incorrectly provided advice based on the UK Government’s position without checking the Scottish Government’s stance.
The group is stuck in the hotel for 10 days, where they are confined to their rooms with windows that don’t open and no fresh air.
Mr Bowman said: “It seems crazy we are being held here when others could wander home or fly to England and drive home. The loophole is ridiculous.
“I feel like a prisoner.”
Yesterday Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross MP urged the Scottish Government to rethink the matter.
He said: “I was contacted about this on Friday because one of the men involved is a constituent from Moray.
“I immediately raised it with Scottish ministers as an urgent request and I worked throughout the weekend to try and find a solution.
“Unfortunately, the response from the Scottish Government – which I received on Sunday morning after chasing them – basically said that because these men landed a day earlier than the change in the rules for exemption, nothing could be done.
“Had they arrived in England, they would be at home with their families already.
“I can fully understand how frustrated they are about this.”
A spokesman for the UK Chamber of Shipping said: “Seafarers are key workers and have played a vital role in keeping trade flowing over the past 12 months.
“Advice from the chamber to our members was correct at the time of issuing.
“Subsequently, the policy of the Scottish Government changed and we have updated our members accordingly.
“We still want to see seafarers exempt from quarantine restrictions and will continue to work with the Scottish government to try and bring their position into line with the rest of the UK.”
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