The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Pre-Departure Testing and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

2021 No. 38

Public Health, England

Transport, England

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Pre-Departure Testing and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

Made 14th January 2021

Laid before Parliament 14th January 2021

Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1(2) and (3)

The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 45B, 45F(2) and 45P(2) of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 19841.

S-1 Citation, commencement and application

Citation, commencement and application

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Pre-Departure Testing and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), these Regulations come into force at 4.00 a.m. on 15th January 2021.

(3) Regulations 6, 8(1)(a), 8(3), 8(5), 9(4)(d) and 9(6)(b)(ii) come into force on 1st February 2021.

(4) These Regulations apply in relation to England only.

S-2 Interpretation

Interpretation

2. In these Regulations—

“common travel area” has the meaning given in section 1(3) of the Immigration Act 19712;

“the International Travel Regulations” means the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 20203.

1 Pre-Departure Testing

PART 1

Pre-Departure Testing

S-3 Amendment of the International Travel Regulations

Amendment of the International Travel Regulations

3.—(1) The International Travel Regulations are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 2(1) (interpretation)—

(a)

(a) after the definition of “coronavirus disease”, insert—

““device” means an in vitro diagnostic medical device within the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Medical Devices Regulations 20024;”;

(b)

(b) after the definition of “Passenger Locator Form”, insert—

““qualifying test” means a test that is a qualifying test for the purposes of regulation 3A;”;

(c)

(c) after the definition of “self-isolate”, insert—

““sensitivity”, in relation to a device, means how often the device correctly generates a positive result;

“specificity”, in relation to a device, means how often the device correctly generates a negative result.”.

(3) After regulation 3 (requirement to provide information), insert—

S-3A

Requirement to possess notification of negative test result

3A.—(1) A person who arrives in England having begun their journey outside the common travel area must, subject to paragraph (2), possess on arrival valid notification of a negative result from a qualifying test taken by that person.

(2) A person who presents at immigration control at the Channel Tunnel shuttle terminal area in France5, with the intention of boarding a shuttle service destined for the United Kingdom, must, on so presenting, possess valid notification of a negative result from a qualifying test taken by that person.

(3) A person who is travelling with a child aged 11 or over and for whom they have responsibility must—

(a)

(a) on their arrival in England, in the case of a person described in paragraph (1), or

(b)

(b) when they present at immigration control, in the case of a person described in paragraph (2),

possess valid notification of a negative result from a qualifying test taken by that child.

(4) A person who possesses valid notification of a negative result from a qualifying test must produce that notification, physically or digitally, if requested to do so by an immigration officer.

(5) The following persons are not required to comply with this regulation—

(a)

(a) a child who is under the age of 11,

(b)

(b) a person described in paragraph 2, 3, 4, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, 6, 11, 12 or 29 of Schedule 2,

(c)

(c) a person described in any sub-paragraph of paragraph 3(1) of Schedule 2B.

(6) For the purposes of this regulation—

(a)

(a) a test is a qualifying test if it complies with paragraph 1 of Schedule 2B,

(b)

(b) a notification of a negative result is valid if it includes the information specified in paragraph 2 of Schedule 2B,

(c)

(c) a child is to be treated as possessing valid notification of a negative result from a qualifying test taken by that child even if that notification is possessed by a person who is travelling with, and has responsibility for, that child,

(d)

(d) “shuttle service” has the meaning given in section 1(9) of the Channel Tunnel Act 19876.”.

(4) In regulation 6 (offences and penalties)—

(a)

(a) after paragraph (1)(a), insert—

“(aa)

“(aa) without reasonable excuse contravenes a requirement in regulation 3A,”;

(b)

(b) in paragraph (1A), for the words from “in regulation 4” to the end of that paragraph, substitute—

“in—

(a)

(a) regulation 3A, if they reasonably believed at the time of the contravention that the notification of a negative result was valid and from a qualifying test, or

(b)

(b) regulation 4 in the circumstances described in paragraph (8)(d), (8A)(f), (9)(h) or (13A) of that regulation, if they reasonably believed at the time of the contravention that the test was an appropriate test (within the meaning given in paragraph 2 of Schedule 2A).”;

(c)

(c) after paragraph (1A), insert—

S-1B

“1B For the purposes of paragraph (1)(aa), reasonable excuses include, in particular, where—

(a) a person was medically unfit to provide a sample for a qualifying test and possessed a document, in English or accompanied by a certified English translation, signed by a medical practitioner entitled to practise in the country or territory in which that practitioner was based, to that effect,

(b) it was not reasonably practicable for a person to obtain a qualifying test due to a disability,

(c) a person required medical treatment with such urgency that obtaining a qualifying test was not reasonably practicable,

(d) a person contracted coronavirus and required emergency medical treatment,

(e) a person was accompanying, in order to provide support, whether medical or otherwise, a person described in sub-paragraph (c) or (d) where it was not reasonably practicable for the accompanying person to obtain a qualifying test,

(f) a person began their journey to England in a country or territory in which a qualifying test was not available to the public, with or without payment, or in which it was not reasonably practicable for a person to obtain a qualifying test due to a lack of reasonable access to a qualifying test or testing facility and it was not reasonably practicable for them to obtain a qualifying test in their last point of departure if this was different to where they began their journey,

(g) the time it has taken a person to travel from the country or territory where they began their journey to the country or territory of their last point of departure prior to arriving in England meant that it was not reasonably practicable for them to meet the requirement in paragraph 1(c) of Schedule 2B, and it was not reasonably practicable for them to obtain a qualifying test in their last point of departure.”.

(5) In regulation 7 (fixed penalty notices)—

(a)

(a) after paragraph (6), insert—

S-6A

“6A Where the fixed penalty notice is issued to a person in respect of an offence described in regulation 6(1)(aa), or regulation 6(2) where the person is believed to have wilfully obstructed any person carrying out a function in relation to regulation 3A, then the amount specified under paragraph (4)(c) must be—

(a) in the case of the first fixed penalty notice, £500,

(b) in the case of the second fixed penalty notice, £1,000,

(c) in the case of the third fixed penalty notice, £2,000,

(d) in the case of the fourth and subsequent fixed penalty notice, £4,000.”;

(b)

(b) in paragraph (10)(b), after the words “an information offence”, insert “or an offence described in regulation 6(1)(aa)”.

(6) In paragraph 4C of Schedule 2 (persons not required to comply with regulation 3 or 4), omit “in accordance with the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 or the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007”.

(7) In Schedule 2A (test to release)—

(a)

(a) in the heading, for “Testing” substitute “Testing after arrival in England”;

(b)

(b) in paragraph 2(2), omit sub-paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) (definitions of “device”, “sensitivity” and “specificity”).

(8) After Schedule 2A, insert—

SCHEDULE 2B

Regulation 3A

Testing before arrival in England

1

1 A test complies with this paragraph if—

(a) it is a test for the detection of coronavirus undertaken using a device which the manufacturer states has—

(i) a sensitivity of at least 80%,

(ii) a specificity of at least 97%, and

(iii) a limit of detection of less than or equal to 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 copies per millilitre,

(b) it is not a test provided or administered under the National Health Service Act 20067, the National Health Services (Wales) Act 20068, the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 19789, or the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 197210, and

(c) the test sample is taken from the person no more than three days before—

(i) in the case of that person travelling to England on a commercial transport service, the service’s scheduled time of departure, or

(ii) in any other case, the actual time of departure of the vessel or aircraft on which that person is travelling to England.

2

2 Notification of a negative test result must include, in English, French or Spanish, the following information—

(a) the name of the person from whom the sample was taken,

(b) that person’s date of birth or age,

(c) the negative result of the test,

(d) the date the test sample was collected or received by the test provider,

(e) the name of the test provider and information sufficient to contact that provider,

(f) the name of the device that was used for the test.

3

3.—(1) The persons referred to in regulation 3A(5)(c) (and not required to comply with that regulation) are—

(a)

(a) a person (“P”) described in—

(i) paragraph 13(1)(b) of Schedule 2 where, prior to P’s departure to the United Kingdom, the relevant Department has certified that they meet this description and are not required to comply...

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