The Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the 1984 Act” means the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984;

“child” means a person under the age of 18 years;

“Coronavirus” means the virus known as “Wuhan novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)”;

“infected area” means any area (including a country) which the Secretary of State has declared, by notice published on www.gov.uk, as an area where there is known or thought to be sustained human-to-human transmission of Coronavirus, or from which there is a high risk of importation of infection or contamination (with Coronavirus) via travel from that area to the UK;

“isolation” in relation to a person means the separation of that person from any other person in in such a manner as to prevent infection or contamination (with Coronavirus)—

(a)

at a facility designated, by notice published on www.gov.uk, for the purposes of these Regulations by the Secretary of State;

(b)

in that person’s home;

(c)

in a hospital; or

(d)

at another suitable place;

“medical officer” means a registered medical practitioner designated for the purposes of these Regulations by the Secretary of State;

“Public Health England” means the executive agency of that name of the Department of Health and Social Care;

“public health officer” means a registered public health consultant or a person working within Public Health England under the oversight of a registered public health consultant;

“registered public health consultant” means a professionally registered public health consultant working within Public Health England;

“responsible adult” means, in relation to a child, a person with parental responsibility for the child (within the meaning of the Children Act 1989) or a person who has custody or charge of the child for the time being; and

“screening requirements” means the requirements set out in regulation 6(1).

(2) In these Regulations, a reference to infection or contamination(1), however expressed, is a reference to infection or contamination with Coronavirus, and related expressions are to be construed accordingly.

(3) The notice referred to in the definition of “infected area” and “isolation” in paragraph (1) must be followed by publication of the notice in the London Gazette as soon as reasonably practicable.

(1)

See section 45A of the 1984 Act for the interpretation of “infection” and “contamination”. Section 45A was inserted by section 129 of the 2008 Act.