The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 16) Regulations 2021

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—

• clarify that in the reasonable measure listed at sub-paragraph (a)(ii) under Step 3 of regulation 16(1) of the principal Regulations, the reference to preventing “any person who has had close contact in the previous 10 days with a person who has tested positive for coronavirus” is a reference to only those close contacts who are required to isolate in accordance with regulation 8(2) of the principal Regulations;

• amend the requirement on those responsible for election campaigning to take reasonable measures to minimise the risk of exposure to, or spread of, coronavirus, so that it more closely reflects similar requirements placed on persons responsible for premises;

• remove the requirement to wear a face covering when attending a marriage, civil partnership or alternative wedding ceremony;

• omit Part 6 of the principal Regulations, which provides for circumstances in which schools may be required to be open when they may otherwise be closed to allow children of critical workers or children who are vulnerable to attend.

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.