2021 No. 10

Public Health

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel, Pre-Departure Testing and Operator Liability) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021

Made

Coming into operation in accordance with regulation 1(2) and (3)

The Department of Health M1 makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 25B and 25F(2) of the Public Health Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 M2.

Annotations:
Marginal Citations
M1

Formerly the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety; see 2016 c. 5 (N.I.), s. 1(5)

M2

1967 c. 36 (N.I.). Part 1A was inserted by section 48 of, and Schedule 18 to, the Coronavirus Act 2020 (c. 7)

Citation and commencementF31

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InterpretationF42

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F1PART 1Pre-Departure Testing

Annotations:
Amendments (Textual)

Amendment of the principal RegulationsF13

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Transitional and saving provisionF14

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F2PART 2Operator liability in respect of arrivals

Annotations:
Amendments (Textual)

Interpretation of Part 2F25

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Requirement to ensure passengers have completed a Passenger Locator FormF26

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Requirement to ensure passengers possess notification of negative test resultF27

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OffencesF28

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Power to use and disclose informationF29

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ReviewF210

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ExpiryF211

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Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health on 18th January 2021

Robin Swann Minister of Health

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Part 1 of these Regulations amends the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020 No. 90) to introduce a requirement for persons travelling to Northern Ireland from outside the open borders area comprising the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland (the “common travel area” by virtue of section 1(3) of the Immigration Act 1971 (c. 77)) to possess a notification of a negative coronavirus test upon arrival in Northern Ireland.

Part 2 of these Regulations introduces requirements for persons operating commercial transport services (“operators”) for passengers travelling to Northern Ireland from outside the common travel area to ensure that passengers who arrive in Northern Ireland on such services have completed a Passenger Locator Form (regulation 6(1)) and possess notification of a negative test result (regulation 7(1)). Breach of the requirements is an offence (regulation 8(1)).

Upon completion of the Passenger Locator Form, passengers receive a unique passenger reference number from the Home Office. An operator who has recorded a unique passenger reference number in the format used by the Home Office will have a defence to the offence in regulation 8(1)(a) (regulation 8(3)).

No impact assessment has been prepared for these Regulations