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 10 days and provide passenger information, to prevent the further spread of coronavirus. These restrictions came into force on 8 June 2020.
The International Travel Regulations are kept under review, and on 18 January the travel corridors were suspended. The current arrangements for travel within the Common Travel Area (CTA) (UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) are unchanged so travel without isolation is still permitted.
The latest JBC risk assessment (22 March) for Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and the Philippines shows that the risks have increased and these should be added to the red list of countries. This would mean that direct flights would be banned, travellers would not be permitted entry to Wales but instead would have to enter through a designated port in England or Scotland and remain in managed quarantine there for 10 days before travelling onto Wales.
Other amendments to be introduced in this regulation are to;
- Allow UK resident hauliers who have been in a “red list” country to enter Wales and be exempt from the requirement to go into managed isolation in England.
- Introduce a bespoke testing arrangement for hauliers (both UK and non-UK) to exempt them from the post-arrival testing requirements and replace that with tests at days 2, 5 and 8.
- Introduce specific isolation requirements for hauliers.
- Introduce fixed penalty notices for offences relating to the new testing and isolation requirements.
- Allow students under the age of 18 who have been in a “red list” country to enter Wales and to isolate at a boarding school.
- Allow a person to leave isolation after 14 days if a test result has not been returned from the laboratory.
- Make other consequential amendments including amendments to fix drafting errors in the International Travel Regulations.
The regulations come into force from 04:00 hours Friday 9 April.