travel issues scotland

Easing of restrictions on international travellers

From 4am on Friday 7 January people travelling to Scotland from abroad, who are fully vaccinated or under the age of 18, will no longer need to take pre-departure COVID-19 tests. They will also no longer be required to self isolate on arrival until they've received a negative result.

Travellers in this group will still need to take a test on or before day two after arriving in the UK – which can be a lateral flow device rather than a PCR test from Sunday 9 January.

Anyone who tests positive on their lateral flow test will need to isolate and take a free confirmatory PCR test.

The new measures apply across the UK after agreement between the UK Government and the three devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Pre-departure COVID-19 tests, the requirement to self-isolate and mandatory PCR tests were re-introduced in December to help stem the spread of the Omicron variant, but are now seen as less necessary because Omicron is now the dominant strain in the UK.

In addition, Ministers have agreed to approve vaccine certificates for a further 16 countries and territories from 4am on 10 January to allow quarantine-free travel to Scotland. The red list of highest risk countries will remain unchanged with no countries currently on the list.

All four nations are also discussing what the requirements should be for border travel in the future.

Given the rapid spread of Omicron in 2021 it was essential that we took immediate steps to protect public health in Scotland, particularly with regards to international travel. We still have significant concerns over Omicron, but we recognise that, now it is the most dominant strain in Scotland and across the UK, it is sensible to review the measures currently in place. We also fully understand the impact of the restrictions on staff and businesses in the travel and aviation sectors and these changes demonstrate our commitment not to keep measures in place any longer than necessary. However, people still need to be extremely careful when travelling and to remember that both our and other countries' COVID-19 requirements can change at short notice as things can evolve very quickly. People should therefore ensure they have travel insurance and carefully check their booking terms and conditions, as well as ensuring compliance with the latest regulations for the country being visited. Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson

Find out more information about these changes on the Scottish Government website .

Travel disruption

Some emergencies, like severe weather, cause disruption and delay and in extreme cases can leave you stranded.

By following Ready Scotland’s advice, you can more easily adapt and respond to disruption - you might even be able to avoid it all together. Keep yourself and those around you safe.

What Can I Do?

• During severe weather, consider whether you need to travel right now, or if you can wait until the weather improves;
• Check the weather forecast , and keep up to date with the latest weather warnings;
• Think about alternative routes or modes of travel and check public transport routes ;
• Traffic Scotland host an interactive map  which provides information on all incidents, roadworks, and travel warnings on Scotland’s major roads. You can also check on road conditions using live traffic cameras  across the country before you set off;
• If you do decide to drive, make sure your car is ready for a journey in poor weather e.g. check your tyre pressure, treads, lights and fuel levels;
• In winter, think about getting winter tyres  or snow socks for your vehicle;
• Pack an emergency kit  in your car.

Emergency Kit Basic List

• A first aid kit;
• Battery jump leads;
• A torch and spare batteries;
• A map for unplanned diversions;
• A reflective warning sign.

Emergency Kit Cold Weather Additions

• An ice scraper and de-icer;
• A shovel for snow;
• Warm clothes and boots;
• Food, and a warm drink in a flask.

Before Travelling in Poor Weather

• If travelling by public transport, be prepared for potential disruptions with warm clothes and boots, food and a warm drink in a flask;
• Tell someone your destination and when you expect to arrive;
• Allow extra time for your journey;
• Take a fully charged mobile and charger with you;
• Carry one or more emergency contact numbers on your mobile phone or in your wallet/purse. This means emergency responders can contact people who know you, and get important medical information as quickly as possible.

During a Journey

• Avoid flooded roads: six inches of fast-flowing water can knock over an adult and two feet of water can move a car;
• Adapt your driving style to the conditions. Your stopping distance is increased 10x when driving in snow and ice, and doubles in wet weather, so it makes sense to slow down and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front;
• It’s not always obvious that the road is icy. Look for clues such as ice on the pavement or on your windscreen. If your tyres are making virtually no noise on the road, it could be a sign that you’re driving on ice;
• Don’t brake heavily in snow or ice – it will just lock your wheels and you will skid further. Consider changing to a lower gear;
• If your vehicle loses its grip, or ‘aquaplanes’ on surface water, take your foot off the accelerator to slow down. Do not brake or steer suddenly because you’ll have no control of the steering or brakes.
• Ensure you (and your bike) are visible to other road users by wearing bright and light reflective clothing;
• Consider heavier duty tyres to cope with slippery surfaces and get a routine bike maintenance check;
• Get a good set of mud guards.
• Search British Cycling for their useful range of Ridesmart guides to help prepare for winter weather cycling.

Find Out More

• Get more information about driving in bad weather  from Traffic Scotland.
• Traffic Scotland also has real-time traffic information .
• Call Traveline on 0871 200 2233 for information on public transport.

Stay Informed

Ready Scotland regularly publishes alerts on both Twitter and Facebook. Follow and like our pages to keep up to date wherever you are.

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Transport and Travel in Scotland 2021: Results from the Scottish Household Survey

ISBN 978-1-911672-19-7

This document is also available in  pdf format

• Key findings
• Introduction

Changes to survey approach in response to Covid-19 pandemic Comparability with previous years Disability and Transport New tables and details for 2021 Additional sources of transport statistics for 2021 Interpretation of results Transport Scotland Statistics

• Personal Travel

Who travels? How do people travel? Why do people travel? Travel to Work Travel to School How long do people travel for?

• Motor vehicles, traffic and driving

Car and van access Frequency of driving Fuel spend and cost of parking Electric vehicles

• Public transport

Local bus services Rail travel Public transport cost Affordability of transport

• Walking and cycling

National indicator

• Additional background information on the SHS

Experimental Statistics Correspondence and enquiries Complaints and suggestions

Back to top

• View TATIS 2021 Travel Diary tatis-2021-travel-diary.xlsx
• View TATIS 2021 Social Survey tatis-2021-social-survey.xlsx
• View TATIS 2021 LA Tables tatis-2021-la-tables.xlsx

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

E-gates back online after chaos at Heathrow and other UK airports

Home Office rules out cyber-attack as a cause of technical outage that delayed thousands of passengers at passport control

The e-gates failure that left thousands of passengers queueing at UK airports has been resolved, the Home Office has said while ruling out a cyber-attack as a cause.

Airports said passengers could expect to travel smoothly again on Wednesday after widespread delays on Tuesday evening owing to a nationwide technical outage affecting UK Border Force e-gates.

Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol airports all confirmed problems with passengers being processed through the border on Tuesday.

Border officials were left to manually process all travellers instead. Pictures shared on social media showed long queues forming at passport control at several airports.

A Home Office spokesperson said on Wednesday: “E-gates at UK airports came back online shortly after midnight.

“As soon as engineers detected a wider system network issue at 7.44pm last night, a large-scale contingency response was activated within six minutes.

“At no point was border security compromised, and there is no indication of malicious cyber-activity.” Heathrow airport’s X account also confirmed soon after midnight that systems were running as usual.

Manchester airport said a dedicated team and customer services staff were supporting passengers while UK Border Force fixed the problem.

Among delayed passengers were Sam Morter, 32, who arrived at Heathrow from Sri Lanka, said it was “pandemonium” when he got to passport control in Terminal 3, where all of the E-gates had blank screens.

He told the PA news agency: “There was a lot of Border Force officials running and scrambling around. Four or five went to man the posts and start processing the UK passports manually.

“But at the same time, hundreds of passengers started to flood into passport control, so it all of a sudden became chaotic and they couldn’t cope with the number of the people coming in.

“We weren’t given any information. There was no information on the Tannoys or from staff.”

Another affected traveller wrote on X: “Long queues at Heathrow airport where passengers are being held at arrivals for a system failure. Been here already 1 hour and the queue is only getting bigger. No communication given to anyone on what is the timeframe to sort this out.”

Another person posted video footage of the chaos and wrote: “No e-gates working. This is the current queue in Gatwick airport with lots of children and no water.”

One X user at Heathrow wrote: “Been stood here over an hour! My taxi has cancelled and at this rate I’ll be too late for a train.” Another wrote: “My daughter has been waiting in a queue for over 2 hours now after a 12-hour flight.”

There are 270 automated gates in total at 15 air and rail ports in the UK, using facial recognition to allow people to enter the country.

Passengers were already facing disrupted journeys to and from airports owing to industrial action affecting train services across the UK throughout this week until Saturday.

Border Force workers also staged a four-day strike at Heathrow in a dispute over working conditions last week.

• Air transport
• Heathrow airport
• Gatwick airport
• Business travel
• Stansted airport

Most viewed

Travel chaos at airports across UK - as London and Manchester confirm nationwide border issue

Both Stansted and Gatwick airports said the issue was related to e-gates at passport control.

By Claire Gilbody Dickerson, news reporter

Tuesday 7 May 2024 23:08, UK

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Chaos has been reported at airports across the UK - as several airports have confirmed a nationwide border issue.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: "Border Force is currently experiencing a nationwide issue which is impacting passengers being processed through the border.

"Our teams are supporting Border Force with their contingency plans to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible and are on hand to provide passenger welfare. We apologise for any impact this is having to passenger journeys."

UK airports confirmed to be affected by Border Force issue

London Heathrow

London Gatwick

London Stansted

Southampton

Follow latest: 'Queues only getting bigger' after London and Manchester a irports confirm nationwide issue

Manchester Airport also confirmed that the UK Border System is down as part of a nationwide outage.

Bristol Airport said on X it had also been affected by the issue as it warned passengers that "e-gates are not available and wait times may be longer than normal".

A spokesperson for AGS Airports which operates Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports has told Sky News they are impacted by the nationwide outage of the UK Border system.

The flights schedule means they are not currently affected by any queues, but Glasgow airport is due to have international arrivals later this evening.

The spokesperson said that if the situation continues they would expect passengers to be affected at Glasgow airport but contingency plans are in place and extra staff will be on hand to assist passengers.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: "Some passengers may experience delays at immigration due to a nationwide issue with UK Border Force e-gates.

"Our staff are working with UK Border Force - who operate passport control including the e-gates - to provide assistance to passengers where necessary."

It said its teams are working to assist passengers in the airport.

Seems to be a UK nationwide airport system crash. No e gates working. This is the current queue in Gatwick airport with lots of children and no water #welcometotheuk pic.twitter.com/ckT21gJYXx — Rosie (@rxsiebo) May 7, 2024

A passenger at Gatwick Airport posted a video of the queues, saying on X that there were "lots of children and no water".

At Gatwick airport, the queue is over an hour long, with people being given no information on how long it may take for them to get through passport control, Sky News understands, while getting people on trains into London has also become an issue.

One passenger at Heathrow Airport said they had already been in the queue for an hour and it was "only getting bigger".

They added there had been "no communication" on how long it may take to resolve the issue.

Sky News correspondent Sadiya Chowdhury, reporting from Heathrow Airport, said one passenger had been in a queue for about three hours.

Last year, at the end of May, there were similar problems with e-gates and it took a day to resolve the issue as human officers had to check people's passports while the automated machines were out of service.

The country's air traffic system also suffered issues in August 2023 when a technical problem disrupted the National Air Traffic Service for several hours.

Long queues at Heathrow airport where passengers are being held at arrivals for a system failure. Been here already 1hour and the queue is only getting bigger. No communication given to anyone on what is the timeframe to sort this out. #welcomeback #heathrow #london #england pic.twitter.com/1BR71tetJh — A N D Y (@A_N_D_Y_3) May 7, 2024

Stansted Airport said on X: "UK Border Force is experiencing nationwide issues affecting e-gates at a number of airports, including London Stansted."

They said in a statement to Sky News: "Our operational and customer service colleagues are supporting passengers while UK Border Force and the Home Office fix the issue."

Edinburgh Airport said: "Border Force is experiencing a nationwide technical outage affecting UK airports.

"Although not in a peak arrivals period, some passengers may experience longer than normal waits at the Border while UKBF works to fix the issue." It added: "Thank you for your patience."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are aware of a technical issue affecting e-gates across the country.

"We are working closely with Border Force and affected airports to resolve the issue as soon as possible and apologise to all passengers for the inconvenience caused."

The disruption comes after Border Force workers staged a four-day strike at Heathrow in a dispute over working conditions last week.

The union said the workers were protesting against plans to introduce new rosters they claim will see around 250 of them forced out of their jobs at passport control.

Are you affected? Send us a message on WhatsApp or email [email protected] if you want to send us pictures and video.

By sending us your video footage/photographs/audio you agree we can broadcast, publish and edit the material and pass it on to others for similar use in any media worldwide, without any payment being due to you.

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Euro 2024: How to follow England and Scotland in Germany this summer – and what to do in each city

Some bargain flights are still available – if you are prepared to fly into neighbouring countries, article bookmarked.

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The stage is set for Europe ’s summer festival of football: the Euro 2024 finals in Germany . We now know all the teams who have qualified for the continent’s greatest football tournament, and when and where they will play their opening matches.

England and Scotland qualified emphatically. Sadly, Wales went out on penalties to Poland, who along with Georgia and Ukraine were last to qualify.

Euro 2024 kicks off in Munich on Friday 14 June and ends with the final in Berlin on Sunday 14 July.

Many fans will want to travel to Germany. Whether you are planning a midsummer’s dream trip to support your team or just want to soak up the atmosphere, these are the key questions and answers.

The venues?

• Berlin Olympiastadion (capacity 70,000)
• Munich Football Arena (67,000)
• Dortmund BVB Stadion (66,000)
• Stuttgart Arena (54,000)
• Gelsenkirchen Arena AufSchalke (50.000)
• Hamburg Volksparkstadion (50,000)
• Cologne Stadium (47,000)
• Dusseldorf Arena (47,000)
• Frankfurt Arena (46,000)
• Leipzig Stadium (42,000)

Read more on Europe travel :

• Where to visit in Cyprus for a 2024 holiday
• Why I chose Marseille over Paris for the Olympic Games
• The best kids’ club resorts in Europe

Where and when are Scotland’s group-stage games?

14 June v Germany in Munich (the tournament’s opening match)

19 June v Switzerland in Cologne

23 June v Hungary in Stuttgart

Where and when are England’s group-stage games?

16 June v Serbia in Gelsenkirchen

20 June v Denmark in Frankfurt

25 June v Slovenia in Cologne

What are the basic travel mechanics?

Fortunately for supporters of England and Scotland, all the games – except for the opening match between Germany and Scotland in Munich – are in western Germany.

For Cologne, where England will play Slovenia and Scotland will play Switzerland, surface travel looks best: ideally a Eurostar train from London to Brussels and a connection from there.

But it will be much cheaper for groups of supporters to go by road. Many people will take cars across, and the Dover-Dunkirk or Harwich-Hook of Holland ferries are probably best – though Newcastle to Amsterdam and Hull to Rotterdam are also feasible, if expensive.

There’s a wide choice of flights on budget airlines from across England and Scotland to Germany , but they won’t be low-cost during the tournament for key games. It could be smart to fly to somewhere close to Germany instead.

For example, to reach Gelsenkirchen, the venue for England’s first game against Serbia, Eindhoven in the Netherlands is an option. Remarkably, for those flying out on 15 June and returning on 17 June, Ryanair has flights between London Stansted and Eindhoven for £15 each way.

For Scotland’s game against Hungary on 23 June in Stuttgart, you could fly on easyJet from Edinburgh to Basel in Switzerland and get a cheap train from there; out on 21 June, back on 24 June is currently £184 return.

Will travelling around the host nation be easy?

Yes, because German Railways has a vast, high-density network, with low fares if you don’t take the fastest expresses.

There is no real need to book anything in advance – you can buy tickets on the day. The network will feel the strain on match days, but trains will be supplemented by long-distance coaches.

If you’re driving your own car, the autobahns will be busy – and you will also find parking in cities and near venues difficult.

All ticket holders will get 36 hours of free local transport around each match.

Which brings us to the thorny question of tickets...

All group-match tickets have been sold, and the Uefa resale platform has now closed. The organisers say “There will be no further opportunities to resell tickets.”

But many tickets for the knock-out stages have been held back, and will go back on sale from 23 June onwards. Uefa says: “Tickets reserved for knockout-stage matches will be sold during the tournament upon the qualification of the teams for the respective matches.”

Tickets for the Round of 16 matches involving successful teams in Scotland’s group should go on sale from 9pm BST on 23 June, and England’s group from 9pm BST on 25 June.

Or you can settle for the fan zones – which will be in attractive locations such as Cologne’s old town, the Altstadt.

What about accommodation?

Unlike Paris, where hotel rates are steadily falling ahead of the Olympic Games , demand for rooms in and near host venues is rising – along with prices. For many fans, Germany is extremely accessible.

In Cologne, on the night of Scotland’s group game against Switzerland (19 June), many properties are sold out, and basic budget hotel rooms are selling for £400.

But you can save approximately half the cost by booking in Dusseldorf, about 20 minutes by train from Cologne. Go further, to Aachen (less than an hour away), and rates halve again.

While many Berlin hotels are sold out on the night of the final, a very good hotel room in Leipzig (the Amano Home ) is only €79 (£69) on the night of the final, with trains taking 75 minutes to reach the German capital.

Is it worth waiting until the knockout stages?

Quite possibly. A valid strategy is to do nothing now and see if England and Scotland progress beyond the group stage. From then onwards, everything becomes easier – pressure on transport and accommodation eases because lots of fans sadly go home.

Over the four-day spell of the Round of 16, from 29 June to 2 July, could be the prime time to be in Germany.

And, if you are feeling optimistic, you could even book a cheap flight to Berlin for the final on 14 July. Ryanair is currently selling flights on 11 July, returning on 16 July, for just £137 from Edinburgh to the German capital.

What shall I do between the matches?

This guide focuses on the England and Scotland host cities, in order of their matches. But the best of the rest will follow.

Munich (Scotland v Germany, 14 June)

The Bavarian capital is the favourite German city of many travellers. The Altstadt, the old town, has the beautiful Marienplatz – dominated by the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (new town hall), which stretches across its northern side. Shortly before 11am and noon each day, crowds gather for a glockenspiel performance that features a Bavarian knight beating a French challenger in a jousting tournament. For the best view of Munich (and, on a clear day, the Bavarian Alps), visit the tower of St Peter’s Church, just south.

Eat and drink

Warm summer evenings will mainly be spent on cafe terraces and in beer gardens, but the state-owned Hofbrauhaus is well worth visiting for the dizzying choreography of the well-attired waiting staff and the conviviality of the location – augmented from time to time with all the oompah you would expect from a Bavarian band.

Gelsenkirchen (England v Serbia, 16 June)

The Ruhr is off many tourists’ itineraries, but the former coal and steel hub for Germany’s economic and military might is fascinating. Gelsenkirchen itself is actually little more than a northern suburb of Essen (don’t show this to any locals). The industrial archaeology is remarkable, with much of the former Zollverein coal mine handed back to nature – and visitors. You can clamber, carefully, around this Unesco-listed gem. And the German Football Museum is just minutes away in Dortmund (see below).

Essen in central Essen: it is difficult to go wrong, but I like the Pfefferkorn Essen. South of the city centre, Il Pomodoro is a reliable Italian.

Cologne (Scotland v Switzerland, 19 June; England v Slovenia, 25 June)

Cologne is a city designed for walking. Start by climbing the bell tower of the dom (cathedral); the 509 steps are challenging, though you can pause halfway up to admire the glocken (bells). From the public gallery at a height of 97m, you get a fine view of the old town – and some ungainly modern buildings that were erected after the Second World War, in which 90 per cent of the city was destroyed. The Museum Ludwig, adjacent to the dom , celebrates modern art by the likes of Dali and Warhol. For 19th-century works and earlier, the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum is a dramatic modern structure.

Eating, drinking and shopping are the main interests of the locals in what is arguably Germany’s friendliest big city. The local Kolsch beer – light and well hopped – will cheer even losing fans. The tastiest brand is Gaffel, whose home ground is the Gaffel Haus on Alter Markt. But the atmosphere is even more convivial at the Brauhaus Sion, which also serves up sauerbraten : beef marinated for what seems like months, which melts in your mouth in minutes.

Frankfurt (England v Denmark, 20 June)

Europe’s financial hub is far more rewarding than you might imagine. It has a traditionally restored old town, complete with the chance to ascend the tower of St Bartholomew’s (location for medieval coronations of holy Roman emperors), though with some questionable 1960s embellishments. Among the wealth of attractions in this wealthy city: Goethe’s House, where the national poet was born in 1749.

Goethe could have been talking to football fans when he wrote: “If you’ve never eaten while crying you don’t know what life tastes like.” Cross one of the bridges to go south of the Main and sample ebbelwei – apple wine, a cousin of cider – in Ebbelwoi Unser, where you can also dine on sausage, dumplings and sauerkraut.

Stuttgart (Scotland v Hungary, 23 June)

The capital of Baden-Wurttemberg, a big, prosperous southwestern state, feels different from many other German cities: with hilly surroundings and a sense of space, it is a location for getting out and about. Top attraction: the Mercedes-Benz Museum. But if you want to be alone after the match, try Schloss Solitude, just west of the city.

Could this be Germany’s most amazing bar? Jigger & Spoon is a modern take on the speakeasy bar, two floors below the city streets in the vault of a bank, which you reach by going into the office block at Gymnasiumstrasse 33 and taking the lift down two floors. Somehow it includes a cigar lounge. For dinner, the Stuttgart Rathskeller in the basement of the city hall is unbeatable.

Best of the rest – Simon Calder’s top recommendation for each of the other host cities

The wall may have come down in 1989, but 35 years on, the scars of the division of the German capital are still evident. The Palace of Tears at Friedrichstrasse railway station, where people checked out of East Germany to the West, is now a museum, and provides a profoundly emotional experience.

Controversy drags on about England’s third goal in the 1966 World Cup Final: the German Football Museum even has a special investigation into the linesman’s questionable decision against West Germany, using an interactive media station. Unsurprisingly, there is rather more focus on the occasions when German players won the Weltmeisterschaft (in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014).

The Church of St Nicholas was built in 1874 by the great British architect Gilbert Scott. It was devastated during the Second World War by Allied bombers, but the spire survived and remains one of Europe’s tallest church structures. The crypt contains a small museum commemorating the wartime destruction of Hamburg and the victims of the Third Reich. Nearby, visit Altona Fischmark, the ornate fish market where The Beatles used to breakfast after their all-night shows on the Reeperbahn.

One of Germany’s most rewarding cities owes much of its beauty to the Rhine; a riverside highway is now confined to a tunnel. Take the Weisse Flotte €20 Panorama-Fahrt (no sniggering, please) to appreciate the setting and learn more about the monuments.

In this fine East German city, do mention the Cold War. The Zeitgeschictliches Forum focuses on four decades of state communism. You are taken through the whole sorry story, from the Nazi era via the postwar carve-up of Germany decided in Potsdam, and spy cameras disguised as cigarette packets, to the night in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down.

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The CDC issues new rules for bringing dogs into the U.S., aimed at keeping out rabies

Traveling internationally with a dog — or adopting one from abroad — just got a bit more complicated. The CDC issued new rules intended to reduce the risk of importing rabies. mauinow1/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

Traveling internationally with a dog — or adopting one from abroad — just got a bit more complicated. The CDC issued new rules intended to reduce the risk of importing rabies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new rules Wednesday aimed at preventing dogs with rabies from coming into the United States.

Under the new regulations, all dogs entering the U.S. must appear healthy, must be at least six months old, must have received a microchip, and the owner must verify the animal either has a valid rabies vaccine or has not been in a country where rabies is endemic in the last six months.

Dogs coming from a country that is considered at high risk for rabies and who received a rabies vaccine from another country must meet additional criteria. Those include getting a blood test before they leave the other country to make sure the animal has immunity against rabies, a physical examination upon arrival and getting a U.S. rabies vaccine. If the dog doesn't have a blood test showing immunity, it must be quarantined for 28 days.

These are much stricter requirements than existing regulations for dog importation — for those who want to adopt from abroad and for those traveling internationally with their pets.

Shots - Health News

Vaccine hesitancy affects dog-owners, too, with many questioning the rabies shot.

But, U.S pet owners shouldn't panic, says Dr. Emily Pieracci , a CDC veterinary medicine officer. "This really isn't a big change," she says. "It sounds like a lot, but not when you break it down, it's really not a huge inconvenience for pet owners."

Rabies was eliminated in dogs in the United States in 2007 , but unvaccinated canines can still contract the disease from rabid wildlife such as raccoons, skunks or bats.

And rabies remains one of the deadliest diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans around the world. Globally, about 59,000 people die from rabies each year. The illness is nearly always fatal once a person begins to experience symptoms .

Today, pet dogs in the United States are routinely vaccinated against rabies.

"This new regulation is really set to address the current challenges we're facing," Pieracci says. Those include an increased risk of disease "because of the large-scale international movement of dogs," she adds, as well as fraudulent documentation for imported dogs.

The U.S. imports an estimated 1 million dogs each year. In 2021, amid a surge of pandemic-inspired dog adoptions, the CDC suspended importations from 113 countries where rabies is still endemic because of an increase in fraudulent rabies vaccination certificates. The countries include Kenya, Uganda, Brazil, Colombia, Russia, Vietnam, North Korea, Nepal, China and Syria.

That suspension will end when the new rules go into effect Aug. 1.

"This will bring us up to speed with the rest of the international community which already has measures in place to prevent the importation of of rapid dogs," Pieracci said. "So, we're playing catch-up in a sense."

The new regulations replace rules that date back to 1956. Those rules only required that dogs be vaccinated before entering the country.

To control rabies in wildlife, the USDA drops vaccine treats from the sky

"As you can imagine a lot has changed since then," Pieracci says. "International travel has increased dramatically and people's relationships with dogs have changed since the 1950s. During that time, it really wasn't common for dogs to be considered family member. They didn't sleep in peoples' beds. They certainly didn't accompany them on international trips."

The new rules won praise from the American Veterinary Medical Association . The organization "is pleased to see the implementation of this new rule that will help protect public health and positively impact canine health and welfare," said Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the AVMA in a statement to NPR.

Dog rescue advocates also welcomed the changes.

"This updated regulation will allow us to continue bringing dogs to the U.S. safely and efficiently," Lori Kalef, director of programs for SPCA International, said in a statement.

"We have seen that dogs have been a lifeline for U.S. service members during their deployments. One of our key programs reunites these service members and their animal companions here in the U.S. once they have returned home," she said. "The CDC's commitment to improving its regulations has a profound impact on the animals and service members we support, and this new policy is an important piece of that effort."

• importing dogs

Creaking German trains could derail Euro 2024 travel

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Ageing infrastructure, frequent delays and workers that regularly stage strikes -- critics warn Germany's creaking railways are ill-prepared for an influx of football fans descending on the country during Euro 2024.

Once held up as a symbol of German efficiency and punctuality, the country's train network has been increasingly beset by problems in recent years due to what observers say is chronic underinvestment. 

Passengers regularly complain of issues from breakdowns to cancelled services and shuttered restaurant carriages. 

Last year 36 percent of long-distance German trains were unpunctual, defined as six minutes or more past their scheduled arrival time by operator Deutsche Bahn, which blamed factors from the railways' poor condition to frequent construction work.

The worsening condition of the network was a worry for Paul Goodwin, co-founder of the Scottish Football Supporters Association, who had a warning for the country's army of travelling fans.

"Beware Scotland fans -- make sure you are taking the earlier train," he told AFP, adding those staying far from venues would likely be reliant on the railways to get to and from games.

"Get out of the pub a little bit quicker. Give yourself extra time... The last thing you want is to turn up at half time." 

He predicted up to 40,000 Scotland fans, most without match tickets, will make their way to Germany for the tournament, which runs from mid-June to mid-July and kicks off with a Scotland verus Germany clash in Munich.

Fans 'not easy to handle'

Deutsche Bahn however insists it is ready for the arrival of tens of thousands of extra passengers from across Europe. 

It is providing an additional 10,000 train seats a day around match days, offering discounted fares for match ticket holders and has even rolled out a Euros-themed train decked out with tournament logos.

Meanwhile organisers have sought to make life easier for visitors. During the group stages, each team will play in one of three different geographic areas of Germany -- south, north or west -- meaning less travel for supporters and teams.

Despite the rail operator's Euros PR push, recent headlines have been dominated by its woes, from the parlous state of the network to widening financial losses and waves of crippling strikes.

The operator has announced plans for an extensive overhaul of the railways by 2030, although major work on this will only get underway once the Euros wrap up.

With frequent repairs causing delays in recent times, Deutsche Bahn plans to reduce construction activities to a minimum around the tournament in a bid to lessen disruptions.

But a spokeswoman conceded that "we cannot do without construction work altogether as we urgently need to clear the backlog from the last few years".

While hopeful the railways can handle the extra burden, German rail passenger association Pro-Bahn warned even small problems could have knock-on effects. 

"If there are delays at some point, then they will certainly spread through the entire network, and there will be disruptions," the group's Karl-Peter Naumann told AFP.

"Then the question is of course how the fans behave. Sometimes, when they have drunk a lot of beer, they are not so easy to handle."

'A little patience'

Worries about staff safety prompted union EVG -- which represents around 180,000 rail personnel, and paralysed the network with a series of strikes last year -- to threaten industrial action during the Euros if security was not improved.

If the situation does not get better "we will ensure that the trains do not run", EVG board member Kristian Loroch told the Tagesspiegel newspaper earlier this month.

It came as an EVG staff survey showed about 64 percent of 4,000 respondents saying they had experienced a physical or verbal attack in the past 12 months.

Deutsche Bahn subsequently announced it was boosting security staff during the tournament, with extra personnel in particular for stations at venues and on the trains to them. 

Some are more optimistic about the German railway's prospects during the Euros. 

World Cup winner Philipp Lahm, who is tournament director, told AFP in a recent interview that Euro 2024 was a "good opportunity to show that... the infrastructure works in Germany". 

But he also had a message for fans: "A little patience won't hurt. Not everything will be perfect."

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