Business trips across Russia: restrictions owing to COVID-19

NEWS \ 17.06.2020

When sending employees on business trips, the employer should take into account the restrictive measures determined by the heads of the territorial entities of the Russian Federation. We have collected information that will help you prepare your employees for the upcoming trip.

For the majority of regions, some restrictions are as follows:

• observation of the 14-day self-isolation regime after arrival from other regions;
• use of individual protective gear, including respiratory equipment, in public places;
• observation of a social distance of at least 1.5 meters between people in public places;
• stay at home in case of acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI) symptoms.

However, in some regions, additional requirements are established that determine the procedure of movement of citizens and vehicles, including when performing business trips. Such requirements may include:

• Locating in the observator. In some regions, this rule applies to certain categories of individuals (for example, visitors from Moscow, the Moscow Region, or Yakutia; employees who operate on a rotation basis). It is not necessary to stay in the observator if the employee has provided a certificate of negative take for coronavirus or has passed an observation in another region. This requirement is set in regions such as the Irkutsk and Kaliningrad Regions, and the Kamchatka Region.
• The presence of a certificate of staying in the observator, about the earlier disease or absence of contact with infected persons. These documents may be required from you in such territorial entities of the Russian Federation as the Republic of Buryatia, Stavropol Territory, the Kostroma region.
• The presence of negative takes for coronavirus. This is required by the regulations established in the Republic of Karelia.
• Preliminarily registration of a pass to enter or move around the region. In some regions, the right of entry may only be established for certain cities in the region. This requirement is established in the Amur and Vologda regions, in the Kamchatka Region, and in the city of Sevastopol.
• Notification of arrival by telephone hotline. These measures are fixed by the heads of the Astrakhan, Magadan, and Belgorod regions.
• Presence of a letter of assignment. Despite the fact that there is no obligation to issue such a document for business trips, you may only check in to a hotel if you have it. For example, this is necessary for trips to the Lipetsk or Tambov Regions, or the Perm Territory.

Please note that the list of regions where a particular restriction is set is not exhaustive. Before sending employees on a business trip, we strongly recommend that you study the epidemiological situation in a particular territorial entity of the Russian Federation on its official website.

At the same time, the heads of regions recommend to refrain from organizing business trips in the absence of operational need. However, if such a need exists, the employer should:

– justify the urgent nature of the business trip and familiarize the employee with this decision against signature;

–  be familiarized with the mandatory requirements of local government bodies established in relation to the business trip destination;

– request from the host organization documentary confirmation of normal mode operation;

– solve the issue of employee’s movement to the business trip destination: car, railway or air. Since the movement may be restricted or closed for some types of transport;

– solve the issue of accommodation for a business traveller;

– provide the employee with individual protective gear (face masks, gloves, disinfecting agents);

– inform the employee about the need to observe personal hygiene rules;

– give the employee all the necessary documents for a business trip;

– inform the employee that, if necessary, after returning from a business trip, they will have to be be under quarantine restriction within 14 days.

Please contact Acsour specialists in the matters of drawing up of human resources documents and sending employees on business trips.