The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Amendment No. 6) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2021 No. 32

Public Health

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Amendment No. 6) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021

Made

10th February 2021

Coming into operation

at 4.00 a.m. on 11th February 2021

The Department of Health(1) makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 25B and 25F(2) of the Public Health Act (Northern Ireland) 1967(2).

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Amendment No. 6) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 and shall come into operation at 4.00 am on 11th February 2021.

(2) In these Regulations, “the principal Regulations” means the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020(3).

Amendment of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020

2.  The principal Regulations are amended in accordance with regulations 3 to 5.

Amendments to Regulation 4

3.  In regulation 4 (requirement to self-isolate), in paragraph 12—

(a) omit sub-paragraph (ba);

(b) in sub-paragraph (ca)(i), omit “a new domestic elite sportsperson,” and “(za),”.

Amendments to Schedule 2

4.  In Schedule 2 (persons not required to comply with regulation 3 or 4)—

(a) omit paragraph 28A;

(b) in paragraph 31, after “Regulations 2012” insert “or who has been appointed as such under regulation 33 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013(4)”;

(c) in paragraph 34(1)—

(i) at the end of sub-paragraph (b) omit “or”;

(ii) at the end of sub-paragraph (c) insert “or”;

(iii) after sub-paragraph (c) insert—

“(d) a “qualified person (manufacture)” as referred to in paragraph 8(2) of Schedule 2 to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013,”;

(d) in paragraph 39—

(i) for sub-paragraph (1), substitute—

“(1) A domestic elite sportsperson, an international elite sportsperson, a domestic ancillary sportsperson or an international ancillary sportsperson.”;

(ii) in sub-paragraph (2)—

(aa) in the definition of “domestic elite sportsperson”, in sub-sub-paragraph (c)(i) omit “participate in training for or to”, and after sub-sub-paragraph (c)(i) insert—

“(ia) has departed from or transited through the non-exempt country or territory in order to participate in training for an Olympic or Paralympic event and has returned to Northern Ireland with the intention of continuing activities as a sportsperson, or”;

(bb) omit the definition of “multinational ancillary sportsperson”;

(cc) omit the definition of “new domestic elite sportsperson”;

(iii) in sub-paragraph (3), after sub-sub-paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa) “Olympic or Paralympic event” means a specified competition or other sporting event in which the participants compete to qualify for the right to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or Ireland at the Tokyo Olympic or Paralympic Games;”;

(iv) in sub-paragraph (4) omit sub-sub-paragraph (za).

Amendments to Schedule 4

5.  In Schedule 4 (specified competitions), for the entries, substitute “No competitions are specified in this Schedule.”.

Transitional and saving provision

6.  In relation to any person who arrived in Northern Ireland before the coming into operation of regulations 3 to 5, the principal Regulations apply as if the amendments made by those provisions had not been made.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health on 10th February 2021

(L.S.)

Robin Swann

Minister of Health

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (“the principal Regulations”) to narrow two of the sectoral exemptions from the self-isolation requirements. This follows a cross-Government review of the sectoral exemptions list.

The exemption for domestic and international elite sportspersons have been tightened to remove certain categories of worker from the exemption.

In addition, the medicines, human and veterinary exemption has been adjusted to include a reference to the definitions of ‘Qualified person’ and ‘Inspector’ from the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013.

Schedule 4 to the principal Regulations is also amended to remove all competitions from the list of competitions specified in this Schedule, which is relevant to the exemption from the requirement to self-isolate for elite sportspersons.

No impact assessment has been prepared for these Regulations.

(1)

Formerly the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety; see 2016 c. 5 (N.I.), s. 1(5)

(2)

1967 c. 36 (N.I.). Part 1A was inserted by section 48 of, and Schedule 18 to, the Coronavirus Act 2020 (c. 7)

(3)

S.R. 2020 No. 90 as amended by S.R. 2020 Nos. 138, 140, 154, 155, 163, 168, 179, 185, 189, 193, 194, 200, 203, 212, 216, 223, 228, 234, 241, 243, 244, 254, 275, 278, 289, 326, 344, and 355 and S.R. 2021 Nos. 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13 and 17

(4)

S.I. 2013/2033, to which there are amendments not relevant to the Regulations