The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 6) Regulations 2020

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. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (the “principal Regulations”). The amendments—

(a)

allow members of up to four households (instead of two) to agree to be treated as a single (extended) household, which means that members of those households can interact with each other as if they were members of one household;

(b)

provides that people have a reasonable excuse (under regulation 14 of the principal Regulations) to gather indoors, in certain premises, in a group of up to 30 people to—

• celebrate a solemnization of a marriage, or formation of a civil partnership, that takes place on or after 22 August 2020, or

• celebrate the life of a person who has died and whose funeral takes place on or after 22 August 2020.

(c)

provides that, as an exception to the rule prohibiting people from participating in outdoor gatherings of more than 30 people, a larger outdoor event may take place as long as—

• it is organised in accordance with the terms of the exception,

• it is approved in writing by the Welsh Ministers,

• it is attended by no more than 100 people (not including persons working, or providing voluntary services, at the event), and

• it is held in accordance with any conditions specified by the Welsh Ministers.

(d)

clarifies that regulation 18(9B) of the principal Regulations (admissibility of evidence) applies to any proceedings other than to proceedings under the principal Regulations.

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.