Update on Coronavirus and potential impacts on the toy industry

As China continues with its efforts to control the spread of the current coronavirus outbreak originating in Wuhan, the government has officially extended the Chinese New Year holiday to Feb 2nd with local governments at the province level extending it further to the 9th of February in toy manufacturing provinces including Guangdong, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. Further extensions may follow which would result in factories staying closed for longer, and workers travel may be disrupted. Safety and quality inspections may also be impacted, as would labor standards assessments if travel is restricted. IETP continues to closely monitor the situation in China, and regular updates will be shared via the IETP website.Click here for the latest update to IETP audit arrangements in Mainland China.