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, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/574 (W. 132)) (the “International Travel Regulations”) and the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1609 (W. 335))) (the “Restrictions Regulations”).
The International Travel Regulations have been previously amended by:
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Public Health Information for Persons Travelling to Wales etc.) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/595) (W. 136);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Public Health Information to Travellers) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/714) (W. 160);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/726) (W. 163);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/804) (W. 177);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/817) (W. 179);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/840) (W. 185);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/868) (W. 190);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 6) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/886) (W. 196);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 7) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/917) (W. 205);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 8) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/944) (W. 210);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/962) (W. 216);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 10) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/981) (W. 220);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 11) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1015) (W. 226);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 12) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1042) (W. 231);
- the Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs) Order 2020 (S.I. 2020/942);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 13) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1080) (W. 243);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 14) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1098) (W. 249);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 15) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1133) (W. 258);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 16) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1165) (W. 263);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 17) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1191) (W. 269);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 18) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1223) (W. 277);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 19) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1232) (W. 278);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1237) (W. 279);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1288) (W. 286);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 20) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1329) (W. 295);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 21) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1362) (W. 301);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 3) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1477) (W. 316);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Public Health Information to Travellers) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1521) (W. 325);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 22) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1602) (W. 332);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, South Africa) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1645) (W. 345);
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/20) (W. 7); and
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) 2021 (S.I. 2021/24) (W. 8).
The Restrictions Regulations have been previously amended by:
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1610) (W. 336);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1623) (W. 340);
- the Health Protection (Coronavirus, South Africa) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1645) (W. 345); and
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/20) (W. 7).
The International Travel Regulations impose requirements on persons entering Wales after having been abroad. They include a requirement for persons arriving in Wales to isolate for a period determined in accordance with those Regulations.
The requirements imposed by the International Travel Regulations are subject to exceptions, and certain categories of person are exempt from having to comply.
Persons entering Wales after being in one or more of the countries and territories listed in Schedule 3 to the International Travel Regulations are not required to isolate. The countries and territories listed in Schedule 3 are referred to as “exempt countries and territories”.
Part 2 of these Regulations amends the list of exempt countries and territories. Regulation 2 amends the International Travel Regulations to remove the entries for Aruba, the Azores, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Chile, and Madeira and Qatar.
Regulation 3 of these Regulations makes transitional provision in connection with these countries’ and territories’ change of status. The transitional provision addresses a potential area of doubt in terms of the effect on the operation of the International Travel Regulations, of the amendments made by regulation 2 of these Regulations.
Part 3 of these Regulations amends Schedule 3A to the International Travel Regulations. Schedule 3A to the International Travel Regulations list those countries and territories subject to additional measures by virtue of regulations 12E and 12F of those Regulations. Regulation 12E provides that when a person has been in a specified country or territory listed in Schedule 3A, that person and members of their household are required to isolate. Further, the categories of exempt persons as detailed at Schedule 2 to the International Travel Regulations do not apply, and there are more limited circumstances in which a person may leave isolation. Regulation 12F imposes restrictions on the arrival of aircraft and vessels arriving directly from a country listed in the Schedule 3A to the International Travel Regulations.
Regulation 4 lists the following countries and territories in Schedule 3A: Argentina; Brazil; Bolivia; Chile; Colombia; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guyana; Paraguay; Peru; Portugal; Republic of Cabo Verde; Republic of Panama; Suriname; Uruguay; and Venezuela.
Part 4 of these Regulations amends the Restrictions Regulations to impose more stringent isolation requirements on people who have been in one of 16 listed countries within the period of 10 days prior to 4.00 a.m. on 15 January 2021 and on anyone in the same household as such people. These are countries where there is evidence of community spread of a new variant of coronavirus. The amendments also correct the Welsh language text of paragraph 48 of Schedule 4 to the Restrictions Regulations to clarify that show homes are permitted to stay open in Alert Level 4 areas.
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.