Health Act 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Face Coverings on Public Transport) Regulations 2020

JurisdictionIreland
CitationIR SI 244/2020
Year2020

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 14th July, 2020.

I, STEPHEN DONNELLY, Minister for Health, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 5 and 31A (inserted by section 10 of the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1 of 2020)) of the Health Act 1947 (No. 28 of 1947) and -

(a) having regard to the immediate, exceptional and manifest risk posed to human life and public health by the spread of Covid-19 and to the matters specified in subsection (2) of section 31A, and

(b) having consulted with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Minister for Justice and Equality,

hereby make the following regulations:

Citation and commencement

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Face Coverings on Public Transport) Regulations 2020.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on the 13th day of July 2020.

Operation of Regulations

2. These Regulations shall remain in operation until the 5th day of October 2020.

Definitions

3. In these Regulations -

“Act of 2008” means the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 (No. 15 of 2008);

“face covering” means a covering of any type which when worn by a person covers the person’s nose and mouth;

“public passenger transport service” has the same meaning it has in the Act of 2008;

“public transport operator” has the same meaning it has in the Act of 2008;

“public transport vehicle” means a vehicle by means of which a public passenger transport service is provided;

“reasonable excuse” shall be construed in accordance with Regulation 6;

“relevant geographical location” means a geographical location to which an affected areas order applies;

“relevant person” has the meaning assigned to it by Regulation 4;

“travel by public transport vehicle” includes boarding a public transport vehicle.

Relevant person

4. The following persons (each of whom, in these Regulations, is referred to as a “relevant person”) are specified as relevant persons for the purposes of these Regulations:

(a) any officer, employee or agent of a public transport operator who is –

(i) in, on, or boarding a public transport vehicle owned or operated by that operator, and

(ii) acting in the course of his or her duty as such officer, employee or agent in connection with the provision of a public passenger transport service on behalf of that operator;

(b) any officer, employee or agent of the National Transport Authority who is –

(i) in, on, or boarding a public transport vehicle owned or operated by a public transport operator, and

(ii) acting in the course of his or her duty as such officer, employee or agent of the National Transport Authority.

Requirement to wear face covering when travelling by public transport

5. (1) A person shall not, without reasonable excuse, travel by public transport vehicle within a relevant geographical location...

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