The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2022

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 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”) to—

• amend regulations 6 and 7 of the principal Regulations to provide that persons testing positive for coronavirus are now required to self-isolate for a 5-day period (rather than a 7-day period);

• provide that where a person was under a requirement to isolate immediately before these Regulations come into force, the end of the isolation period is to be determined in accordance with regulation 6 or 7 as amended by these Regulations;

• omit a spent transitional provision relating to previous amendments to the principal Regulations’ isolation requirements.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. In accordance with the Code, a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely cost and benefit of complying with these Regulations has not been carried out, due to the need to put them in place urgently to ensure that the principal Regulations’ restrictions and requirements continue to be proportionate.