The Brazilian Covid variant was flown into Aberdeen a month ago, the Scottish Government confirmed.
Health secretary Jeane Freeman revealed that they will be contacting every passenger on the BA1312 flight from London Heathrow to Aberdeen International Airport on Friday January 29.
Three people on that flight were confirmed to have the Brazilian variant of Covid.
They had travelled to London from Brazil, via Paris before being moved into quarantine organised by their employer in Aberdeen.
There are concerns that this variant is more easily transmissible and could be less affected by the vaccines.
However, Ms Freeman moved to reassure the north-east that this variant has not been circulating in Scotland.
They are also doing “everything that’s necessary” to check whether it could have been transmitted in Scotland and to identify and break any chains of transmission.
She added: “We know that current vaccines are effective against the strains of the virus which have already been established in the UK.
“However, more work is required to determine that this remains the case for emerging strains of the virus, such as the one we are highlighting today from Brazil.”
20 BA passengers have already been notified.
Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith also moved to reassure the public that the variant had not moved onto the general population.
He said: “All of these actions are proportionate but entirely precautionary.
“It is especially important we continue to suppress transmission, as the more virus there is around the more likely these variants are to appear.
“This is why additional measures have been introduced, such as greater quarantine and increased levels of contact tracing.”
The travellers developed symptoms during the early part of their isolation, Dr Smith confirmed.
They returned negative tests prior to travelling and entered a 10-day isolation period after they arrived in Aberdeen.
Their positive test samples were sent for genome testing because they came from a high-risk country, with the Brazil variant being confirmed on February 27.
Daily figures
Scotland recorded 386 positive Covid cases in the past 24 hours.
The daily test positivity rate is 4.5%, up from 3.8% the previous day.
Of the new cases, 123 are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 70 in Lothian and 51 in Lanarkshire.
No new deaths have been recorded, meaning the death toll remains at 7,131.
There are 824 people in the hospital confirmed to have the virus, down 13 in 24 hours, and 71 patients are in intensive care, down seven.
12 months of Covid
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman marked one year since the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Scotland.
“During the last 12 months our lives have been turned upside down in ways which would have been absolutely unimaginable at the beginning of 2020.
“For thousands of families who have lost loved ones to this virus … the last 12 months have brought grief and heartbreak.
“Many people have been anxious about their own health and that of their loved ones, or they have faced economic hardship due to redundancy or furlough.
“For all of us, forced separation from friends and loved ones has been and is hard to endure.”
She added: “It is impossible to adequately express how grateful I am for everything that people across Scotland have done and endured during the last 12 months, and for the tireless and unrelenting work of our health and social care staff and those who have kept our vital public services running.
“We owe you an enormous debt of gratitude.”