The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) (No. 12) Regulations 2021

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/582) (“the International Travel Regulations”).

Regulation 4 amends regulation 2A (exemptions for vaccinated travellers and others) of the International Travel Regulations to include within the definition of eligible category 2 arrival people who receive a course of doses comprising two different authorised vaccines.

Regulations 11 amends Schedule 3 (list of category 3 countries and territories) to the International Travel Regulations to update the list of countries and territories, and regulation 16 makes consequential amendments to Schedule 13 (prohibition on the arrival of aircraft and vessels into England) to the International Travel Regulations.

Regulation 12 amends Schedule 4 (exemptions) of the International Travel Regulations—

(a) to expand the list of “relevant international events” to include the Conference on Security Sector Reform and the Global Investment Summit, and

(b) to introduce new exemptions from testing and self-isolation requirements in relation to—

(i) contractors or officials of a foreign police force required to travel to the United Kingdom to undertake policing activities essential to the foreign police force,

(ii) cruise ship passengers and crew who do not disembark in England,

(iii) seasonal poultry workers,

(iv) performing arts professionals,

(v) persons engaged in the production of film or high end TV, and

(vi) workers involved in providing support and advice about border control and preparedness to road haulage workers.

Provision consequent on the above exemptions is made by regulations 3, 5 to 9, 10(3) and (5) and 16(2)(a).

Regulation 13 amends Schedule 5 (list of sporting events) to the International Travel Regulations to add a number of new sporting events.

Regulation 14 amends Schedule 8 (mandatory testing after arrival in England) to the International Travel Regulations to require private providers of day 2 and day 8 tests to secure that, where a sample is to be subject to genome sequencing by a laboratory (“the sequencing laboratory”) other than the laboratory which initially processed the sample, the sample must be received by the sequencing laboratory within 24 hours of the result of the initial processing becoming known.

Regulation 15 amends Schedule 11 to the International Travel Regulations to—

(a) add the Virgin Money London Marathon to the list of elite sports, and

(b) introduce the following requirements in relation to certain categories of person in respect of whom the managed self-isolation provisions of Schedule 11 are modified—

(i) a requirement for the person (“P”) to provide the names of any other person (“B”) who will be residing at P’s self-isolation accommodation while P is self-isolating there,

(ii) a requirement for B to self-isolate at the same accommodation as P during P’s period of self-isolation, and

(iii) a requirement for B’s employer not to allow B to attend any place for work other than P’s self-isolation accommodation.

Regulation 10(2) and (4) amends regulation 19, and regulation 17 amends Schedule 14 (amounts of fixed penalties), in consequence of the above amendments to Schedule 11.

These Regulations make further minor and consequential amendments to the International Travel Regulations.

Regulation 18 corrects a minor error in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/966).

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument. An explanatory memorandum has been published alongside this instrument at www.legislation.gov.uk.