As of 5 March 2020, Moscow has announced a high-alert regime to prevent the spread of COVID-19.1

All employees who return from China, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Iran, France, Germany, Spain and other states who display possible "unfavorable" signs of COVID-192 should:

  • Self-isolate at home for 14 days, i.e., do not go to work and limit visits to public places.
  • Upon return from these states, report to the Moscow city hotline (+7 495 870 45 09).
  • If the first symptoms of the disease appear, seek medical help at home without going to any medical facilities.

All employers operating in Moscow are obliged to:

  1. Check the body temperature of all employees and remove those with an elevated temperature from work.
  2. Ensure that employees comply with the self-isolation regime.
  3. Upon receipt of a request from Rospotrebnadzor in Moscow, immediately provide information on all work contact of an employee suffering from COVID-19, as well as disinfect the premises where the employee was located

Companies - employers operating in Moscow must faithfully comply with all of the requirements aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. In order to more effectively comply with the requirements of the above high-alert regime, Moscow employers may consider to reach agreement with employees on a temporary switch to work from home/distant work basing on a relevant local policy.

Consequences of violation

In cases companies fail to comply with mandatory rules of sanitary and epidemiological safety, they may be administratively prosecuted with a fine of up to 30,000 rubles (approx. USD 450). In cases of a repeated or a gross violation relevant regulatory authorities may even suspend business activities of a company for up to 90 days.3