Covid-19 outbreak tests materiality threshold for continuous disclosure

IT IS hard to imagine another event that has gripped the world's attention this year more than the Covid-19 outbreak, which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The profound impact of the measures being taken by governments, corporates and individuals to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus is creating a host of issues for businesses and their employees. Concerns range from corporate governance, disclosure, contracts, financing, strategic transactions and employment to a host of other legal issues.

As the world's stock markets crash, rebound and sink again into bearish territory on fears of economic fallout from border controls to contain the virus's spread, anxious investors need more information from issuers on the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on operations and bottom lines.