Amid health concerns over COVID-19, declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) today issued an announcement noting that all ISO governance and technical meetings planned until June 30, 2020, must be held virtually or postponed until a later date. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the U.S. member body to ISO, encourages its staff and members to view the ISO letter in its entirety.
The announcement, issued by ISO General Secretary Sergio Mujica, reads:
"The ISO Central Secretariat (ISO/CS) has so far been following the recommendations made by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Swiss authorities. However, the situation is rapidly evolving and as of yesterday, the assessment of WHO is that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.
Travel bans, restrictions and social distancing measures continue to expand globally and impact the international standards development work. In response, approximately 275 ISO meetings that were scheduled to take place between 1 February 2020 and 30 June 2020 have already been cancelled.
In light of the above, it has been decided with the support of the ISO President's Committee that all ISO governance and technical meetings planned until 30 June 2020 must be held virtually or postponed until after that date. The extension of these measures will be reviewed and communicated on a monthly basis."
For relevant stakeholders, the letter provides implementation guidelines for meetings, remote participation guidance, and contact points for committees.
Read the ISO Letter on Information Regarding ISO Governance and Technical Meetings.
Stakeholders with any questions or requests for assistance can contact [email protected].