Nicola Sturgeon has said Spain must stay on the list of countries where people need to quarantine if they come to Scotland.

The First Minister said Spain and Serbia still have too high a rate of infection to allow them to be included in the list of “air bridges”.

The UK Government published a list of 59 countries that were low or medium risk and people in England are able to travel without quarantine on return.

Ms Sturgeon said that Scotland would also allow travel from those countries with the exceptions of Spain and Serbia.

Italy, France and Germany do not require quarantine on return.

She also confirmed that even if you travel back into an airport in England and then travel to Scotland you must self-isolate for 14 days.

The First Minister set out the reasons for excluding Spain.

She said: “Thanks to efforts all of us have made Scotland now has a low and declining prevalence of the virus.

“Our current central estimate is for every 100,000 people 28 have covid.”

She said it is “not eliminated” but Scotland has a lower rate than the UK, where it is 180 per 100,000 people.

Ms Sturgeon said: “This is relevant to decisions we take.”

She said some countries, like Denmark, have prevalence that is lower than Scotland but others, like Spain, are higher, where it is 330 people.

She said Spain is less than twice the UK rate but it is more than 10 times higher than Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon said: “This variation feeds into the decision today.”

She said it will be reviewed and hopes it could be lifted at the next review point on July 20.

She added: "All countries are keeping this under review including re-imposition of quarantine."

The list of countries where quarantine is not needed is Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Réunion, San Marino, Seychelles, South Korea, St Barthélemy, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Vatican City, Vietnam.

The UK Government excluded Portugal, Russia, USA and Sweden.

Travel from Africa, the Middle East and most of Asia also requires quarantine.