Scotland on Friday banned all nonessential travel across the border to England, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed in her daily briefing.
The new law came in to force at 6 p.m. local time on Friday (1 p.m. ET), anyone caught breaking the rules could face a fine of around $80.
Travel to Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is also prohibited, unless for essential reasons.
However, people living under restriction levels zero to two — which includes the Scottish Borders region — are technically still allowed to travel overseas for a holiday. Starting Friday it will be an offense for those living under tiers three and four to leave their local area.
“Just because it’s not against the law to travel overseas doesn’t mean we think it’s OK to do it just now. This is a global pandemic, and it is for that reason that we have repeatedly advised people not to travel overseas unless it is for an essential purpose,” Sturgeon said at the briefing.
It was announced on Tuesday that over two million people in 11 areas in the west of Scotland — including Glasgow, the country’s largest city — will move into the highest level of restrictions starting Friday.
This will see nonessential shops, cafes and gyms close for at least three weeks. Bars, pubs and restaurants in most of these areas have been closed since Oct. 9, and people can only meet with one other household in an outdoor setting.
Sturgeon also confirmed that on Friday Scotland registered 1,018 new cases of Covid-19 and 32 deaths, bringing the country’s total figures since the start of the pandemic to 86,630 confirmed cases and 3,459 deaths.
Authorities in England are yet to say if they will reciprocate the cross-border travel ban.