The Department of Health has made a Statutory Rule entitled "The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (2021 Consolidation) (Amendment No. 8) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021", (S.R. 2021 No. 293) which came into operation at 04.00 am on 31 October 2021, except for regulations 4 and 5 which came into operation at 4:00am on 01 November 2021.

This rule amends the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 by amending regulation 2 (Interpretation) to include the lateral flow device (LFD) test for the detection of Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) as an alternative to existing requirements on arrivals deemed to be "eligible" arrivals to undertake day 2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests., the amendments provide for the use of LFD tests and the consequences of the results of such tests; amends regulation 3(3) to update the circumstances in which those arriving in a country or territory on an aircraft or vessel are not to be treated as having departed from, or transited through, that country or territory without first passing through immigration control; removes "Colombia", "Dominican Republic", "Ecuador", " Haiti", "Panama", "Peru" and "Venezuela" from the red list of countries; amends Schedule 2B (Criteria to be an eligible arrival) to include participants in phase 2 or phase 3 clinical trials for a Coronavirus vaccine which is regulated by the European Medicines Agency, or a regulatory authority (other than such an authority in the UK or USA) which is designated as a Stringent Regulatory Authority by the World Health Organisation; extends the circumstances in which a person is deemed to have completed a course of doses of an authorised vaccine; makes a technical amendment to the criteria regarding the UK vaccine rollout overseas; and adds 35 new countries: "Argentina", "Angola", "Azerbaijan", "Belize", "Botswana", "Costa Rica", "Djibouti", "Eswatini", "Guyana", "Honduras", "Lesotho", "Mauritius", "Mongolia", "Nepal", "Panama", "Peru", "Rwanda", "Seychelles", "Suriname", "Tanzania", "Trinidad and Tobago", "Tunisia", "Uganda", "Uruguay", "Anguilla", "Armenia", "Bermuda", "Cambodia", "Cayman Islands", "Gibraltar", "Lebanon", "Madagascar", "Occupied Palestinian Territories", "Sierra Leone" and "Sri Lanka" to the criteria to be an eligible arrival; amends Schedule 4 (Persons who are exempt) to remove the "no access to passengers" condition from the exemption from the requirement to provide information (Regulation 4) for "Seamen and Masters", "Pilots (maritime)", Ship inspectors" and "Air crew", and to introduce an exemption from the requirement to provide information for "Transit passenger" and "Road haulage worker"; and amends Schedule 6 (Requirement to book and undertake tests) to amend the circumstances relating to mandatory testing after arrival in NI, including the introduction of LFD tests as an alternative to PCR tests for "eligible" arrivals and providing for the consequences of the results of such tests.

The rule may be purchased from the Stationery office at www.tsoshop.co.uk or by contacting TSO Customer Services on 0333 202 5070, or viewed online at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr