The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation have issued recommendations on temporary measures for certification process, carrying out inspection control, sampling (and audit control) and other planned activities in response to the pandemic epidemiological situation of the spread of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
Due to the limited possibility of expert’s travel to production place for conducting mandatory procedures of production audit, inspectorial control and sampling of products, there have been developed following recommendations to Certification Bodies and Applicants:
1) For valid certificates of conformity for serial products: if the next scheduled inspection control has come or is coming within the period associated with the spread of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) to postpone the inspection control procedure for up to 6 months;
2) Valid certificates of conformity for serial products that expire during the period of the spread of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19): The Certification Body that carried out a periodic assessment (inspection control of 2nd & 3rd Year) of that certified product might issue a new serial certificate, taking into account the positive results of the last periodic evaluation of that certified product.
3) Products for which the certificate has expired, to apply certification schemes for production batch or for single delivery. In this case, the Certification Body may conduct sampling in a temporary storage warehouse, customs warehouse, in a vehicle container or by taking samples imported into the Russian Federation in compliance with customs procedures;
4) For Certification bodies temporarily to suspend the providing services to applicants for carrying out production audit before the certification procedure and sampling in countries from the list of countries with a poor epidemiological situation.