The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place) (England) Regulations 2020 (revoked)

PART 2 E+W Relevant place: requirement to wear a face covering

Requirement to wear a face covering whilst entering or remaining within a relevant place E+W

3.—(1) No person may, without reasonable excuse, enter or remain within a relevant place without wearing a face covering.

(2) The requirement in paragraph (1) does not apply—

(a) to a child who is under the age of 11;

(b) to a person responsible for a relevant place or an employee of that person acting in the course of their employment;

(c) to any other person providing services in the relevant place under arrangements made with the [F1 person responsible for the relevant place];

(d) to an employee of an operator of a public transport service acting in the course of their employment;

(e) to a person who enters or is within a transport hub in a vehicle (other than a vehicle being used for the provision of a public transport service);

(f) to a constable or police community support officer acting in the course of their duty;

(g) to an emergency responder (other than a constable) acting in their capacity as an emergency responder;

(h) to a relevant official acting in the course of their employment or their duties [F2 ;

(i) to an elite sportsperson undertaking training or taking part in a competition;

(j) to a coach of an elite sportsperson acting in the course of their employment or in the course of providing their services;

(k) to a referee acting in the course of their employment or in the course of providing their services;

(l) to a professional dancer undertaking training or taking part in a competition;

(m) to a professional choreographer acting in the course of their employment or in the course of providing their services;

(n) to a pupil at a religious school who is under the age of 19 and is undertaking education or training in a place of worship where such education or training forms part of the curriculum of the religious school].

(3) In this regulation—

“emergency responder” has the same meaning as for the purposes of section 153A of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 M1 ;

“relevant official” means —

(a)

an inspector or surveyor of ships;

(b)

a person appointed by the Health and Safety Executive under section 19 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 M2 or an officer of the Health and Safety Executive;

(c)

a local authority officer;

(d)

a pilot (within the meaning given in paragraph 22(1) of Schedule 3A to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 M3 );

(e)

a civil aviation inspector, as defined in Annex 9 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation signed at Chicago on 7th December 1944 M4 ;

(f)

a border force officer (within the meaning given in paragraph 7 of Schedule 20 to the Coronavirus Act 2020 M5 ).

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 3(2)(c) substituted (23.9.2020) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place and on Public Transport) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1021), regs. 1, 3(4)

F2 Reg. 3(2)(i)-(n) and semicolon inserted (23.9.2020) by virtue of The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place and on Public Transport) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1021), regs. 1, 3(4)(5)

Commencement Information

I1 Reg. 3 in force at 24.7.2020, see reg. 1(2)

Marginal Citations

M1 1984 c. 51. Section 153A was inserted by the Finance Act 2015 (c. 11), section 75.

M2 1974 c. 37.

M3 1995 c.21. Schedule 3A to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 was inserted by the Marine Safety Act 2003 (c. 16), Schedule 1. There are amendments to Schedule 3A but none are relevant.

M4 The latest edition of Annex 9, which is published by the International Civil Aviation Organization, is the 15th edition, which applied from 23rd February 2018 (ISBN 978-92-9258-301-9).

M5 2020 c. 7.

Reasonable excuse E+W

4.—(1) For the purposes of regulation 3(1), the circumstances in which a person (“P”) has a reasonable excuse include those where—

(a) P cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering—

(i) because of any physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability (within the meaning of section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 M6 ), or

(ii) without severe distress;

(b) P is accompanying, or providing assistance to, another person (“B”) and B relies on lip reading to communicate with P;

(c) P removes their face covering to avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to themselves or others;

(d) P is entering or within a relevant place to avoid injury, or to escape a risk of harm, and does not have a face covering with them;

(e) [F3 if] it is reasonably necessary for P to eat or drink, P removes their face covering to eat or drink;

(f) P has to remove their face covering to take medication;

(g) a person responsible for a relevant place or an employee of that person acting in the course of their employment, requires that P remove their face covering in order to verify P's identity;

(h) in a registered pharmacy, an employee of that registered pharmacy acting in the course of their employment, requires that P remove their face covering in order to assist in the provision of healthcare or healthcare advice to P;

(i) a relevant person requests that P remove their face covering.

F4 (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Textual Amendments

F3 Word in reg. 4(1)(e) inserted (23.9.2020) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place and on Public Transport) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1021), regs. 1, 3(6)

F4 Reg. 4(2) omitted (8.8.2020) by virtue of The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/839), regs. 1(2), 2(7)

Commencement Information

I2 Reg. 4 in force at 24.7.2020, see reg. 1(2)

Marginal Citations

M6 2010 c. 15.