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, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/574 (W. 132)) (the “International Travel Regulations”) and the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1609) (W. 335)) (the “Restrictions Regulations”).
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Public Health Information for Persons Travelling to Wales etc.) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/595) (W. 136);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Public Health Information to Travellers) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/714) (W. 160);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/726) (W. 163);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/804) (W. 177);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/817) (W. 179);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/840) (W. 185);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/868>) (W. 190);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 6) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/886) (W. 196);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 7) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/917) (W. 205);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 8) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/944) (W. 210);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/962) (W. 216);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 10) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/981) (W. 220);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 11) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1015) (W. 226);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 12) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1042) (W. 231);
the Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs) Order 2020 (S.I. 2020/942);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 13) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1080) (W. 243);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 14) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1098) (W. 249);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 15) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1133) (W. 258);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 16) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1165) (W. 263);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 17) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1191) (W. 269);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 18) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1223) (W. 277);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 19) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1232) (W. 278);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1237) (W. 279);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1288) (W. 286);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 20) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1329) (W. 295);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 21) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1362) (W. 301);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 3) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1477) (W. 316);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Public Health Information to Travellers) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1521) (W. 325);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 22) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1602) (W. 332);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, South Africa) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1645) (W. 345);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/20) (W. 7);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/24) (W. 8);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/46) (W. 10);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel, Pre-Departure Testing and Operator Liability) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/48) (W. 11);
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/50) (W. 12); and
the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 3) (Wales) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/66) (W. 15).
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.
Schedule 3A to the International Travel Regulations list those countries and territories subject to additional measures by virtue of regulations 12E and 12F of those Regulations. Regulation 12E provides that when a person has been in a specified country or territory listed in Schedule 3A, that person and members of their household are required to isolate. Further, the categories of exempt persons as detailed at Schedule 2 to the International Travel Regulations do not apply, and there are more limited circumstances in which a person may leave isolation. Regulation 12F imposes restrictions on the arrival of aircraft and vessels arriving directly from a country listed in Schedule 3A to the International Travel Regulations.
Part 2 of these Regulations amends Schedule 3A to the International Travel Regulations. Regulation 2 adds the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates to the list of countries and territories in Schedule 3A. Regulation 3 makes transitional provision in relation to the addition of those countries to the list of countries and territories in Schedule 3A. The transitional provision addresses a potential area of doubt in terms of the effect on the operation of the International Travel Regulations, of the amendments made by regulation 2 of these Regulations.
Part 3 of these Regulations amends the Restrictions Regulations to impose more stringent isolation requirements on people who have been in the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Rwanda or the United Arab Emirates within the period of 10 days prior to 4.00 a.m. on 29 January 2021 and on anyone in the same household as such people. These are countries where there is evidence of community spread of a new variant of coronavirus.
Part 4 of these Regulations makes miscellaneous amendments to the International Travel 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.