The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 8) (Caerphilly) 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 impose additional requirements and restrictions in relation to Caerphilly County Borough, which is designated as a “local health protection area”. In particular—

(a) households within the area may not form extended households under regulation 2A of the principal Regulations and any household within the area which is already in an extended household is no longer to be treated as part of the extended household;

(b) persons living in the area may not leave the area unless they have a reasonable excuse to do so (examples of reasonable excuses are listed in paragraph 3(2) of new Schedule 4A to the principal Regulations);

(c) persons outside the area may not enter it without a reasonable excuse (examples of reasonable excuses are listed in paragraph 4(2) of new Schedule 4A);

(d) persons living in the area may not leave their home to go to work, or to provide voluntary or charitable services, if it is reasonably practical for them to work or provide those services from home (see paragraph 5 of new Schedule 4A);

(e) face coverings must be worn in “open premises” (that is premises open to the public and required to take all reasonable measures to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus under regulation 12 of the principal Regulations), unless an exemption applies or the person has a reasonable excuse for not wearing the face covering (see paragraph 6 of new Schedule 4A).

These Regulations also make further amendments to the principal Regulations which are consequential on the provisions about the creation of a local health protection area.

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.