Competition & COVID-19-CCI Issues Advisory For Businesses During COVID-19

The fair trade regulator, the Competition Commission of India ("CCI"), has joined other peers across the Globe and has issued a brief advisory on 19 April 2020 for guidance of businessmen across sectors on whether limited coordination can be allowed to bridge demand and supply gap during the nationwide lockdown due to COVID 19 pandemic and if so to what extent.

The advisory published on the official website can be viewed here.

We provide below a gist of the DO's & DONTs' for benefit of our readers.

What you CAN DO during COVID-19:

1. You may coordinate certain activities in a limited way, by way of sharing data on stock levels, timings of operation, sharing of distribution network and infrastructure, transport logistics, R & D, production etc. to ensure continued supply and fair distribution of products (e.g. medical and healthcare products such as ventilators, face masks, gloves, vaccines etc. and essential commodities) & services (e.g. logistics, testing