The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2020

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Part 2A of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 enables the Welsh Ministers, by regulations, to make provision for the purpose of preventing, protecting against, controlling or providing a public health response to the incidence or spread of infection or contamination in Wales.

These Regulations are made in response to the serious and imminent threat to public health which is posed by the incidence and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wales.

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (the “principal Regulations”). The amendments—

(a) restrict gatherings indoors of members of an extended household to 6 persons not including any children aged under 11 (this does not affect the general rule that no person may gather indoors with anyone from outside their household);

(b) require face coverings to be worn in the indoor public areas of “open premises” (that is premises open to the public and required to take all reasonable measures to minimise the risk of exposure to, and spread of, coronavirus under regulation 12 of the principal Regulations) and transport hubs, unless an exemption applies or the person has a reasonable excuse for not wearing the face covering;

(c) make it clear that under paragraph 4 of Schedule 4A to the principal Regulations, it is not a reasonable excuse to enter a local health protection area for work, or to provide voluntary or charitable services, if it is reasonably practicable to do the work or provide the service outside the area;

(d) make minor amendments including amendments consequential on the changes mentioned above and on the making of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Functions of Local Authorities) (Wales) Regulations 2020.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has not been prepared as to the likely cost and benefit of complying with these Regulations.