IAF and ILAC have published the joint statement “Replacement of Assessments During the COVID-19 Pandemic” to address situations where pandemic-related circumstances such as travel restrictions, social distancing, and health and safety considerations disrupt mandatory scheduled on-site or remote assessments by IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) or ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) signatories.
This statement allows for an off-site review of documentation to replace an assessment in extraordinary circumstances caused by the pandemic and only under specific conditions as defined in the statement.
It also states that for an initial assessment, review of documentation only, is not sufficient.
The full statement is available on the IAF website here and the ILAC website here.
