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What it regulates
It updated SARS-CoV-2 classification and containment guidance in the annexes to Royal Decree 664/1997. The subsequent 2021 reform replaced the general classification of agents again.
Who it applies to
Occupational exposure to biological agents and activities subject to containment under Royal Decree 664/1997. It is not, by itself, a general regulation of all pandemic public-health restrictions.
Key provisions
It incorporated SARS-CoV-2 as a group 3 agent, with the specified notes for certain laboratory activities. Classification must be applied alongside assessment of the activity.
Sole article: Annex IIIt replaced guidance on containment measures and levels. Read it by distinguishing table requirements and recommendations and the regulation’s conditions of application.
Sole article: Annex IVIt replaced containment guidance for industrial processes. Levels must not be assigned automatically to every workplace solely because an agent may be present.
Sole article: Annex VHistory and versions
Initial publication: 10/12/2020 · Initial entry into force: 11/12/2020
BOE-A-2020-15871Published on 10 December 2020 and effective from 11 December 2020. It amended Annex II and replaced Annexes IV and V to Royal Decree 664/1997, with a transition for agents outside Coronaviridae. Order TES/1287/2021 subsequently replaced Annexes I and II to the regulation.
Published on 10 December 2020 and effective from 11 December 2020. It amended Annex II and replaced Annexes IV and V to Royal Decree 664/1997, with a transition for agents outside Coronaviridae. Order TES/1287/2021 subsequently replaced Annexes I and II to the regulation.
BOE-A-2020-15871This instrument’s amendments are incorporated into Royal Decree 664/1997 · Exposure to biological agents. The latest published wording of the receiving text checked is dated 2021-11-25; that date belongs to the receiving instrument and is not a new publication of this amending instrument.
BOE-A-1997-11144Incorporation of this amendment into consolidated receiving texts
| Publication | Effective date | Official reference | Receiving text | Affected provisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/12/2020 | 11/12/2020 | BOE-A-2020-15871 | Royal Decree 664/1997 · Exposure to biological agents | Annex II, Annex IV, Annex V |
Transitional provisions and application notes
The previous guidance in Annexes IV and V continued to apply to agents other than Coronaviridae until 19 November 2021. That transition is no longer open in 2026.
Sole transitional provisionConsult consolidated Royal Decree 664/1997 to combine updated classification and containment. Agent classification alone does not determine every measure for a job or the general public-health regime.
Current framework and scope
Official BOE legal relationships
Earlier references (3)
- Amends · BOE-A-1997-11144
- Transposes · DOUE-L-2020-80871
- Transposes · DOUE-L-2019-81658
