The May Holidays Have Been Extended. What Now?

Next week will be a non-working week at HSE. Below we tell you how campus working hours will be affected and what you need to know if you plan to travel abroad.

How will the president’s decision to designate the days falling in between the May holidays as non-working days affect the work schedules of HSE faculty and staff?

In order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19, May 4 – 7 will be non-working paid days for HSE faculty and staff.

Exceptions will be made only for essential employees who are required for the smooth functioning of the University. The question of whether unit employees need to work during the non-working period will be determined by their respective structural unit supervisors. Supervisors must receive approval from HSE University and inform both their employees and the HR Office of their decision directly by April 30.

Students will have a traditional spring break during this period.

What about staff who had vacation days pre-approved for May 4-7?

If an employee has a vacation scheduled from May 4 to May 7, it will not be extended or rescheduled automatically. If you wish to change the dates of your vacation, contact the HR Office for information on what needs to be done.

Will campus buildings be open during the May holidays, as well as the non-working period of May 4-7?

Campus buildings will remain open during the May holidays and non-working days. Their opening hours will not change. The library in the building on Pokrovsky Boulevard will remain open as usual 24 hours a day. The rest of the libraries will be open on May 3 and 8.

Campus dining halls will be closed.

I’m traveling abroad during the May holidays. What do I need to do?

If you return from abroad after May 1, you will need to take a PCR test twice: first within 3 days of arriving in Russia, and again within 5 calendar days of your arrival. The test results must be uploaded to the State Services website. The interval between the first and second tests should be at least one day. Employees without two negative PCR results are not permitted to work on campus.

More details (in Russian) can be found in the decree of the Chief State Sanitary Physician.

April 29, 2021