ICAI should come out with Guidance note on Audit procedures during epidemic to prevent health risk of articles and members

With Lock down nearing completion in India and businesses to resume in staggered manner members and articles will also have to resume audit assignments. In this scenario what is worrisome is the health risk of members and articles who conduct their audits at client places on which they have little control with regard to cleanliness and hygiene. Also reaching client places requires travelling in

public transports by articles in most cases. This will expose articles and members to health risk of getting infected by the current highly infectious virus. Hence need of the hour is ICAI should come out proactively with a guidance note on audit procedures during epidemic which will ensure and encourage work from home instead of physical handling of documents at large. Current Auditing standards issued by ICAI require stringent audit documentation which members and in turn articles at large are expected to collect and file physically. Physical vouching at client place may prove to be a another health hazard. A relaxation or guidance for conducting virtual audit by use of scanned documents and other online tools can make possible work from home a much lesser health risk than a actual audit visit to client place.

Articles have taken to social media raising concerns about post lock down health risk of travelling and auditing at client place. More concerning is that there is no health insurance policy requirement by members currently for their articles leaving articles on their own in case they are infected.