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Welsh Statutory Instruments

2021 No. 1126 (W. 273)

Public Health, Wales

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 11) Regulations 2021

Made

at 3.58 p.m. on 8 October 2021

Laid before Senedd Cymru

at 6.00 p.m. on 8 October 2021

Coming into force

at 4.00 a.m. on 11 October 2021

The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 45B and 45P(2) of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984(1), make the following Regulations.

Title and coming into force

1.—(1) The title of these Regulations is the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 11) Regulations 2021.

(2) These Regulations come into force at 4.00 a.m. on 11 October 2021.

Amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020

2.  The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020(2) are amended as follows.

Amendments to regulation 2A

3.—(1) Regulation 2A (exemptions for vaccinated travellers and others) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (3)—

(a)in sub-paragraph (ba), at the end insert “unless P is able to provide proof through the NHS COVID pass”;

(b)in sub-paragraph (d), at the end insert “except where P is a person described in regulation 4(2)”.

(3) In paragraph (10), in the definition of “vaccine certificate”, after “relevant country”, insert “, other than a European country or territory listed in the table in paragraph (11) or the United States of America,”.

(4) In paragraph (12), at the appropriate places insert—

(5) After paragraph (12) insert—

(13) Where a course of doses of an authorised vaccine has been administered to a person (“P”) by a person acting on behalf of the United Nations and authorised to administer the vaccination in that capacity, P is to be treated as if they have received those doses in a relevant country listed in paragraph (12), and any reference to a person from a relevant country in these Regulations is to be construed accordingly..

Amendment to regulation 6A

4.  In regulation 6A(5)(b) (requirement to possess notification of a negative test result), for the words after “valid if” substitute—

(i)it is provided through the EU Digital COVID Certificate, or

(ii)it includes the information specified in paragraph 2 of Schedule 1A..

Amendments to Schedule 3A

5.  In Schedule 3A (countries and territories subject to additional measures) omit—

Eluned Morgan

Minister for Health and Social Services, one of the Welsh Ministers

At 3.58 p.m. on 8 October 2021

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/574 (W. 132)) (“the International Travel Regulations”).

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.

Regulation 3 of these Regulations makes amendments to regulation 2A (exemptions for vaccinated travellers and others) of the International Travel Regulations, including extending the recognition of vaccinations to further countries and territories as well as the United Nations vaccination programme, and making further technical amendments.

Regulation 4 of these Regulations amends regulation 6A (requirement to possess notification of a negative test result) of the International Travel Regulations relating to the evidence that may be provided of pre-departure tests.

Non-exempt persons are prohibited from entering Wales where they have been in a country or territory listed in Schedule 3A (countries and territories subject to additional measures) to the International Travel Regulations within the last 10 days of arrival, pursuant to regulation 12E (additional measures applicable to persons travelling from a country or territory listed in Schedule 3A) of the International Travel Regulations. Regulation 5 of these Regulations amends Schedule 3A to remove various countries from the list of countries or territories to which regulation 12E applies.

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 costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations.

(1)

1984 c. 22. Part 2A was inserted by section 129 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (c. 14). The function of making regulations under Part 2A is conferred on “the appropriate Minister”. Under section 45T(6) of the 1984 Act the appropriate Minister as respects Wales, is the Welsh Ministers.