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. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1609 (W. 335)) (“the principal Regulations”) to—
provide that where an adult is notified that they have had close contact with a person who has tested positive for coronavirus which is or may be the Omicron variant, the adult must self-isolate as the exemptions in the principal Regulations relating to vaccination status, clinical trials and testing schemes no longer apply;
provide (similarly) that where an adult is notified that a child for whom the adult has responsibility has had close contact with a person who has tested positive for coronavirus which is or may be the Omicron variant, the child must self-isolate;
clarify that for the purposes of regulations 6 and 7 of the principal Regulations, a “contact tracer” includes Public Health Wales NHS Trust and the Secretary of State so that they may notify people of positive test results.
The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. In accordance with the Code, a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely cost and benefit of complying with these Regulations has not been carried out, due to the need to put them in place urgently to deal with a serious and imminent threat to public health.