Following the release of the ICC Guidance paper on the impact of COVID-19 on trade finance transactions subject to ICC rules on 6 April 2020, certain comments had been made by lawyers and law firms regarding the reference in sections B and C sub-sections (iii)-(v) of the ICC Guidance paper to a nominated bank being protected by UCP 600 article 35, where documents could not be handed over to a courier or postal service. In response to this, it was decided that the ICC would issue a paper clarifying the scope of the first paragraph of UCP 600 article 35.
This paper, which is described as an interpretative paper on the correct interpretation of the first paragraph of UCP 600 article 35, has now been issued and can be downloaded here COVID - Interpretative Paper on Article 35 UCP 600.pdf.