The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020

Requirement not to gather with other people E+W

2.—(1) No person may, without a reasonable excuse, gather with any other person apart from—

(a) members of their household,

(b) their carer, or

(c) a person they are providing care to.

(2) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1), a person has a reasonable excuse if—

(a) the person is gathering with other people for a purpose that is reasonably necessary and there is no reasonably practicable alternative, or

(b) one of the circumstances in sub-paragraph (4) applies.

(3) Examples of purposes for which it may be reasonably necessary for a person to participate in a gathering include—

(a) obtaining or providing medical assistance, or accessing veterinary services;

(b) working or providing voluntary or charitable services;

(c) meeting a legal obligation, including attending court or satisfying bail conditions, or to participate in legal proceedings;

(d) providing, receiving or accessing care or assistance, including childcare or relevant personal care within the meaning of paragraph 7(3B) of Schedule 4 to the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, where the person receiving the care is a vulnerable person;

(e) in relation to children who do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents, continuing existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children, and for the purposes of this sub-paragraph, “parent” includes a person who is not a parent of the child, but who has parental responsibility for, or who has care of, the child;

(f) moving home;

(g) viewing a property in connection with the purchase, sale, letting or rental of the property;

(h) undertaking activities in connection with the purchase, sale, letting or rental of residential property;

(i) accessing or receiving public services;

(j) accessing or receiving educational services;

(k) avoiding illness, injury or other risk of harm.

(4) The circumstances referred to in sub-paragraph (2)(b) are that the person is—

(a) providing or receiving emergency assistance;

(b) attending a solemnisation of a marriage, formation of a civil partnership or alternative wedding ceremony—

(i) as a party to the marriage, civil partnership or wedding,

(ii) if invited to attend, or

(iii) as the carer of a person attending;

(c) attending a funeral—

(i) as a person responsible for arranging the funeral,

(ii) if invited by a person responsible for arranging the funeral, or

(iii) as the carer of a person attending;

(d) attending a place of worship;

(e) an elite athlete and is training or competing;

(f) providing coaching or other support to an elite athlete, or providing support at an elite sporting event;

(g) participating in a gathering with members of their extended household at a place where members of the extended household are living;

(h) participating in a gathering of no more than 4 people where all the persons in the gathering—

(i) live in the same premises, and

(ii) share toilet, washing, dining or cooking facilities with each other;

[F1 (i) exercising outdoors, except in a private dwelling, with—

(i) members of the person’s extended household, [F2 or]

[F3 (ii) 1 other person and any children under the age of 11 who are members of either person’s household,]

together with any carer of a person participating who is present.]

(5) This paragraph does not apply to a person who is homeless.

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 4 para. 2(4)(i) inserted (30.1.2021) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/103), regs. 1(2), 2(6)(b)

F2 Word in Sch. 4 para. 2(4)(i)(i) inserted (17.5.2021 at 6.00 a.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 10) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/583), regs. 1(2), 2(15)(b)(i)

F3 Sch. 4 para. 2(4)(i)(ii) inserted (17.5.2021 at 6.00 a.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 10) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/583), regs. 1(2), 2(15)(b)(ii)

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 4 para. 2 in force at 20.12.2020, see reg. 1(3)