Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister
Members will be aware the Welsh Government made provision in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (“the International Travel Regulations”) 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 permitted.
The Regulations being made today introduce a three-level traffic-light system of risk ratings for countries and territories and associated isolation and testing requirements for people who have arrived from those different destinations.
Following the addition of Maldives, Nepal and Turkey to the red list – from 4am on 12 May – the red and amber lists of countries remain unchanged, as do the requirements for managed quarantine and isolation and testing before and after arrival.
People travelling to green list countries and territories will require a pre‑departure test before travelling and one post‑arrival test on or before day two – there is no mandatory quarantine period for people returning from green list countries on arrival in the UK.
These Regulations add Australia, Brunei, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Israel, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and St Helena, Tristan de Cunha, Ascension Island to the green list of countries and territories.
These Regulations also make associated changes to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel, Pre-Departure Testing and Operator Liability) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations and the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Public Health Information for Persons Travelling to Wales etc.) Regulations 2020 to reflect the easing of restrictions on international travel and ensure the information provided by operators of relevant services to travellers arriving in Wales from outside the common travel area take account of the introduction of the new arrangements.
There is a consequential amendment to the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020 being made separately which will remove the prohibition on non-essential travel and requirement to complete a declaration to travel form.
The changes being made by these Regulations come into force from 6am on Monday 17 May.