The General Office of the National Health Commission ("NHC") has recently issued the Circular on Further Enhancing Regulation of Disinfecting Products during the Period of Prevention and Control of the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (COVID-19) Epidemic (the "Circular").
The Circular contains content in three aspects. First, high importance should be attached to epidemic prevention and control and effective online record-filing of disinfecting products. Second, enterprises should be prompted to fulfill their primary responsibilities and assistance will be provided for their resumption of work and production in a well-organized manner. Third, in-process and ex-post regulation should be strengthened effectively, and acts in breach of laws and regulations should be investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law. Among others, the Circular provides that all regions should, in combination with the actual situation of local epidemic prevention and control and the market supply and demand for disinfecting products, make timely adjustments to regulatory measures for the urgent launch of disinfectants during the period of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control. As of December 31, 2020, if an enterprise liable for disinfecting products fails to complete the assessment and record-filing of the sanitation and safety of disinfectants urgently launched according to the original normal procedures, it shall immediately stop the production and sale of the aforementioned disinfectants. In addition, the Circular requires intensifying the inspection of enterprises liable for disinfecting products and of disinfecting products, and severely cracking down on the production and sale of fake and inferior products on the market of disinfecting products in accordance with the law.