The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2021

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. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1609 (W. 335)) (“the principal Regulations”). The amendments–

(a) permit a household in an Alert Level 4 area that comprises of 1 or more children and no adults (for example, a 17 year old living alone) to form an extended household with another household;

(b) make temporary modifications to the restrictions and requirements applying to an Alert Level 4 area under Schedule 4 to the principal Regulations, which—

(i) permit a household that has 1 or more children under the age of 1 to form an extended household with another household;

(ii) permit premises in which civil marriage ceremonies and the formation of civil partnerships may take place to open to the public to the extent that this is required for the purposes of the solemnisation of a marriage, formation of civil partnership or alternative wedding ceremony at the premises;

(c) make minor and consequential changes, including revoking spent provisions and updating a cross-reference to regulations that are to be revoked.

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.