According to The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Amendment (No6) Regulations 2020, self-catering accommodation can be provided from 3rd July in a holiday apartment, cottage, home or bungalow, provided to members of one household, andis accessed without entering or moving across any communal areas, and the toilet, cooking or washing facilities which are provided are not shared with any person who is not a member of the same household. These regulations were laid before the Scottish Parliament at 4pm on 2nd July.
In phase 3, people will be able to meet with more than one household indoors with physical distancing and hygiene measures, and this will apply to self-catering. Indicative dates for meeting up indoors with a maximum of 2 households (with physical distancing) is 10 July.
Most self-contained holiday accommodation, including fully self-catering accommodation, holiday homes/second homes and caravan and campervan parks can open from 3 July on the condition that the only accommodation provided/allowed are fully self-contained units with no shared facilities between households. For the avoidance of doubt shared facilities include entrance hallways, stairs and landings. Properties that are accessed via a common entrance cannot therefore reopen at this point. Any flats and tenements let as accommodation which are only accessible through an internal shared space shouldn’t open until 15 July. This guidance was issued on 2nd July.
If a specific area is locked down, current advice is for people to treat the lockdown in the same way as an FCO travel advisory notice regarding foreign travel. While travel in and out of the area is not illegal per se, it should not be done and will invalidate the insurance policy of the accommodation provider. The best thing is the operator to tell the customer that they cannot keep the booking and discuss what arrangements can be made to rebook to another time.