Citing a decline in COVID-19 cases, the FDA resumed conducting domestic surveillance inspections across all commodities yesterday, February 7. The agency will also proceed with previously planned foreign surveillance inspections that have received country clearance and that are within CDC’s Level 1 or Level 2 COVID-19 travel recommendations; other foreign surveillance inspections will be rescheduled.

By way of background, on December 29^th FDA had announced that it would postpone routine domestic and foreign inspection inspections in light of the spread of the omicron variant and then extended the pause on January 18^th.

Throughout this period, FDA has continued to conduct “mission critical” foreign and domestic inspections as well as remote foreign supplier verification program activities for human and animal foods. It has also leveraged other tools, including remote assessment and import operations surveillance.  Additionally, state inspections under FDA contract have had, and continue to have, the discretion to make inspection decisions based on local information.