The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2020

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/574 (W. 132)) (the “International Travel Regulations”), the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 3) (Wales) Regulations and the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (together the “No. 3 and No. 4 Restriction 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. The Regulations impose requirements and restrictions on individuals, businesses and others.

There are 3 Parts to the Regulations.

Part 1 provides that these Regulations come into force at 4.00 a.m. on 7 November 2020.

Part 2 of the Regulations inserts provisions relating to Denmark into the International Travel Regulations as new regulation 12A. This provides that when a person has been in Denmark in the last 14 days and arrives in Wales on or after 4.00 a.m. on 7 November 2020, the categories of exempt persons as detailed at Schedule 2 to the International Travel Regulations do not apply, and sets out more limited circumstances in which a person may temporarily leave isolation. The isolation requirements also apply to any members of a household in which the person is isolating.

Part 3 of the Regulations inserts new provisions relating to persons who have recently been in Denmark into the No. 3 and No. 4 Restriction Regulations. These provisions will provide that where a person is in Wales at 4.00 a.m. on 7 November 2020 having arrived within the period of 14 days ending immediately before that time and been in Denmark during that period, that person and any member of that person’s household will need to isolate for a period of 14 days beginning with the day on which the person arrived in Wales.

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.