Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Members will be aware that the Welsh Government made provision in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020 to ensure that travellers entering Wales from overseas countries and territories must isolate for 14 days and provide passenger information, to prevent the further spread of coronavirus. These restrictions came into force on 8 June 2020.
On 10 July, the Welsh Government amended these Regulations to introduce exemptions from the isolation requirement for a list of countries and territories, and a limited range of people in specialised sectors or employment who may be exempted from the isolation requirement or excepted from certain provisions of the passenger information requirements.
Since then these Regulations have been kept under review and a number of changes to the list of exempt countries and territories have been made.
Today I reviewed the latest JBC assessments and I have decided that the Sovereign airbases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in the island of Cyprus and Greece, except for the islands of Rhodes, Kos, Corfu, Crete and Zakynthos (Zante), will be removed from the list of exempt countries and territories, so travellers from those countries will need to isolate on arrival in Wales.
I have also decided that the following countries and territories should be added to the list of exempt countries and territories; Bahrain, Cambodia, Chile, Iceland, Laos, Qatar, Turks and Caicos, and the United Arab Emirates, so travellers from these countries will no longer need to isolate on arrival in Wales.
A further amendment will be made such that passenger planes and ships travelling directly from Denmark, and accompanied freight, will no longer be able to land or dock at Welsh ports.
Tomorrow I will lay the necessary regulations which will come into force at 04:00 on Saturday 14 November.