The next info session on the coronavirus situation will be held on Monday, 7 June from 9.00 to 11.00.
Last updated on 12 May (Latest decisions; For students and teaching personnel; For researchers; University buildings; Events) and 7 May (Telecommuting, working on the University premises, working hours).
The current restrictions pertaining to support and service operations (museums, broader use of library services, self-access facilities) will remain valid until 24 May 2021 in accordance with the guidelines of the municipalities in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
As an exception in support of student wellbeing, as of 17 May 2021 UniSport’s sports services will resume indoors (booking required), and group exercise outdoors will be permitted for groups of no more than 25 people.
Until 31 May 2021, public examinations cannot be held on site due to the decision by the Regional State Administrative Agency on the restriction on gatherings of more than six people.
Wearing a protective face mask is required on University premises, unless there are no other people present. The recommendation to wear protective face masks remains valid until further notice. In addition, safe social distancing must be always observed whenever possible to prevent exposure.
The response centres will assist members of the University community and partners in interpreting the recommendation and promoting compliance with it.
The University is unable to provide masks separately for commuting between your home and place of work or study. The cloth masks provided by the University should be used primarily in situations related to work and studying.
The University is procuring both cloth masks and disposable masks. For the sake of the environment, the recommendation is to primarily use washable cloth masks.
People with limited means can collect masks from mask distribution points organised by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area municipalities.
The University’s protective face mask recommendation will be updated, when necessary, according to national guidelines.
Further instructions: How to use protective face masks: video by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (in Finnish only)
According to need, University units can order disposable respirators and protective face masks. The University is procuring, in a centralised manner, cloth masks equipped with the University logo. Further information on the procurement of disposable respirators and protective face masks as well as on the distribution of cloth masks is available on Flamma intranet.
Updated on 12 May
Teaching will continue to be provided remotely until 31 July 2021, and correspondingly, contact teaching can be provided only when necessary, as permitted by the relevant response centre. While the Regional State Administrative Agency’s restrictions on gatherings do not apply to teaching, groups should be kept as small as possible.
As a rule, gatherings of no more than 10 people are permitted in teaching and examinations. For compelling reasons, the size of gatherings can be increased to no more than 20 people upon the decision of the relevant response centre. The organisation of small-group instruction and any necessary examinations will be made possible by opening facilities as requested by the response centres.
As of 24 May, the provision of student services on the campuses will resume in stages, taking into consideration the situation in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
The planning of teaching to be provided in the autumn is progressing in such a way that, regardless of the coronavirus situation and vaccination coverage, contact instruction can be organised on campuses for groups of a limited size, taking safe social distancing into account. Lectures for large student groups will be held online.
According to current estimates, roughly one-third of courses to be organised can be implemented safely as contact instruction on University premises.
Compulsory class attendance does not apply to contact teaching, unless the completion method in question requires a physical presence (such as laboratory courses, patient encounters, skills courses). Degree programmes will determine substituting procedures for such courses.
Whenever possible, students in at-risk groups must be offered independent study alternatives. No verification is required from students for at-risk notifications.
Attendance in remote teaching sessions may be required as specified in the curriculum.
Teachers should contact their faculty’s head of academic affairs for instructions on necessary measures. Further information for teaching staff is available on the Instructions for Teaching website.
Compliance with the relevant safety guidelines is required in all University facilities: safe social distancing and hand hygiene must be observed, in addition to which entering the campuses when ill is prohibited. Furthermore, the following instructions pertaining to the coronavirus situation must be taken into consideration:
Occupancy limits in observance of safe social distancing have been determined for teaching facilities. The occupancy limit of individual facilities denotes the number of people allowed in the facility at the same time in addition to the teacher.
Preparations are underway to open self-access facilities at the University (libraries and faculties) from 24 May onwards in accordance with the University’s recovery plan, taking into consideration the guidelines and safety regulations of the coronavirus coordination group of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The use of these facilities will be restricted to ensure safe distances and to keep the facilities open according to the buildings’ opening hours.
Computer rooms will be opened for teaching as requested by the response centres. Examinarium examinations can be organised in accordance with the spring teaching programme, taking group sizes into consideration. Instructions for accessing Examinarium facilities are provided on the Instructions for Students website. Support for digital teaching is available (Unitube studios).
In the case of Aleksandria, the opening of facilities is affected by special entrance examination arrangements, which is why these facilities can be opened on 9 June at the earliest.
In the booking of facilities, teaching organised by the University will be given priority.
University premises will not available for booking by external parties without special permission granted by the relevant response centre until 24 May 2021.
The impact of the exceptional circumstances will be taken into account when deciding on extensions to the right to study.
Updated on 12 May
Whenever possible, all research must be conducted by telecommuting. If working part- or full-time on University premises is necessary for research purposes, the matter must be agreed with the relevant supervisor. Working on University premises is not permitted on the basis of a personal notification.
Carrying out research activities that involve individuals from outside the University community on University premises is not recommended. Whenever possible, research-related interviews are to be conducted remotely.
Carrying out research activities that involve individuals from outside the University community on non-University premises requires a compelling reason. Interviews conducted outside the University should be conducted remotely.
However, if physical examinations or interviews are carried out for reasons of necessity, at-risk groups should be left out.
These recommendations are valid until 24 May 2021 and can be amended according to any future changes in the coronavirus situation.
In laboratory work, a registration procedure is to be used, in addition to which work must be planned in observance of safety and security guidelines. Response centres can issue further instructions and provisions pertaining to the safety of laboratory work.
When working in laboratory facilities, the University’s general guidelines pertaining to work in the exceptional circumstances must be observed.
No more than 50% of the workstations in a given space may be in use at the same time. Only one person can be present at any one time in small offices, laboratories and other small rooms, with the exception of laboratories in which at least two people must be present for safety and security reasons. The two-metre social distancing rule must be followed in laboratories. Equipment in shared use must be cleaned before and after use.
Some of the laboratories are also used in teaching, in which case one must also take into account the instructions for use of teaching facilities, which can be found in the Instructions for teaching.
If you observe activities carried out in contravention of the valid recommendations in any laboratory facilities, please contact the dean of your faculty. You can also contact the University’s Occupational Safety Officer.
The impact of coronavirus outbreak on research funding
Please see Research funding information on the Flamma intranet (requires login).
Updated on 12 May
University premises will be opened to a certain degree according to need. Summer opening hours are valid until 15 August, after which the aim is to open University premises as usual, coronavirus situation permitting.
Until 31 May, gatherings of more than six people in the same space must be avoided on University premises, with the exception of necessary teaching or examination situations.
The electronic access rights of staff remain operational.
Wearing a protective face mask is required on University premises, unless there are no other people present.
A building where porter services are available, for example, for deliveries, is open on each campus. In closed buildings, porter services are provided to staff. The cleaning and maintenance of closed buildings are conducted as usual.
Teaching facilities will be opened as requested by the response centres.
University premises will not available for booking by external parties without special permission granted by the relevant response centre until 24 May 2021.
City Centre Campus
Meilahti Campus
Kumpula Campus
Viikki Campus
The University’s libraries, The Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus, Helsinki University Museum as well as UniSport will comply with the recommendations of the coronavirus coordination group of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
The provision of library services can resume as of 24 May, taking into consideration the guidelines and safety regulations of the coronavirus coordination group of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
Kaisa House Library and Viikki Campus Library are open for pick-up service only. The National Library of Finland offers a self-service pickup for materials. Use of the Special Collections Reading Room and the North Hall Reading Room continues in a limited capacity and by appointment only. See the National Library website for more information.
Think Corner is closed for public until 24 May 2021.
Preparations are underway to open self-access facilities at the University (libraries and faculties) from 24 May onwards in accordance with the University’s recovery plan, taking into consideration the guidelines and safety regulations of the coronavirus coordination group of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The use of these facilities will be restricted to ensure safe distances and to keep the facilities open according to the buildings’ opening hours.
In the case of Aleksandria, the opening of facilities is affected by special entrance examination arrangements, which is why these facilities can be opened on 9 June at the earliest.
Computer rooms will be opened for teaching as requested by the response centres. Instructions for accessing Examinarium facilities are provided on the Instructions for Students website. Support for digital teaching is available (UniTube studios).
Updated on 12 May
No events or gatherings will be held on University premises until 31 May 2021. Furthermore, gatherings of more than six people in the same space must be avoided, with the exception of necessary teaching or examination situations.
As a rule, events to be held in the spring 2021 must be organised as online events. Furthermore, large events that require presence on site should be postponed.
Further information and instructions: University of Helsinki conference and events team, helsinkiuniconferences@helsinki.fi, helsinkiunievents@helsinki.fi
International conferences are to be organised online until 31 August 2021, unless postponed to a later date.
The University’s conference and events team has instructed conference organisers in matters related to the cancellation and postponement of events. If an organiser has not received an email or has questions, they should contact helsinkiuniconferences@helsinki.fi.
Public examinations are held online until 31 May 2021. It is recommended that public examinations be primarily planned as virtual events until 30 June 2021. Public examinations can be held on site only with the permission of the relevant response centre. As the coronavirus situation in the autumn cannot be foreseen in detail, we recommend that public examinations of doctoral theses to be held in the autumn be planned as online events.
In conjunction with online public examinations, only the doctoral candidate, the opponent, the custos and other members of the grading committee, if any, an IT support specialist and the immediate family of the doctoral candidate are permitted to be present on site. The maximum occupancy of individual rooms is 6 people.
Instructions on the use of teaching facilities can be found in the Instructions for teaching.
Are you a new employee at the University of Helsinki? Ask your supervisor how the exceptional circumstances affect the beginning of your work.
If arriving from abroad, a 14-day self-quarantine is recommended whenever professional duties allow, regardless of the country of departure.
If you are a new employee arriving from abroad, and your employment has not yet begun but you need to visit your workplace, you should, in the first instance, seek a coronavirus test at the airport when you arrive in Finland. If this is impossible, request a payment order from on-site HR Services to get tested for coronavirus by the occupational health provider.
Please also consider the effects of the coronavirus situation on the residence permit application process abroad and the availability of public authority services related to entry to Finland provided in Finland. Using public authority services on site is not recommended during quarantine, but in-person appointments should be booked well in advance.
Further information on restrictions related to entry to Finland (including quarantine regulations) is available on the website of the Finnish Border Guard.
Updated on 7 May: Getting the coronavirus vaccination is not counted as working hours.
The recommendation to telecommute is valid until 31 July 2021.
Whenever possible, all work (including research) must be completed by telecommuting. If full-time telecommuting is impossible, the employee must discuss with their supervisor the possibility of part-time telecommuting.
The University regularly monitors the coronavirus situation and the authorities’ recommendations for telecommuting. The recommendation to wear a face mask is valid until further notice.
Getting the coronavirus vaccination is not counted as working hours.
No events or gatherings will be held on University premises. This does not apply to absolutely necessary meetings of no more than 6 individuals (e.g., statutory company meetings).
University staff have been provided with adequate tools and ergonomic aids for working at home when this is necessary for the performance of work duties or employee health. Detailed instructions on ergonomics are available on the Flamma intranet (requires logging in with University credentials).
When returning to work at the University premises, any ergonomics-related equipment must be returned to the University. Supervisors must ensure that any work equipment taken home is returned to the workstations they were borrowed from in the spring. When continuing part-time telecommuting after the exceptional circumstances, employees must independently acquire any work equipment needed for telecommuting, while the employer is responsible for equipment needed at the workplace.
Zoom and Teams are good tools for holding virtual meetings. In the current situation, it is advisable to consider whether video is required or whether audio would suffice. Using video consumes considerably more network capacity compared to audio only.
The University of Helsinki utilises the Funet Miitti (Zoom) service by CSC, implemented through NORDUnet in cooperation with other Nordic countries. The NORDUnet environment is not associated with the same information security risks as those related to the Zoom service in public use. Read more about the Zoom information security in a Flamma news article (requires login with University credentials) and and more generally about the information security in video conferencing on the Helpdesk instruction website.
Use a VPN connection only when needed, and remember to switch it off when you no longer need it. Due to the exceptional circumstances, there is a shortage of VPN connections at the University. Further information: Instructions for remote working (Helpdesk instructions)
If you need, for example, a camera or microphone while telecommuting, please write to helpdesk@helsinki.fi. With the permission of the relevant supervisor, new equipment can be requested from Helpdesk, which will procure it, but your unit will be responsible for the equipment costs. For this, you need the WBS code of the unit paying for the purchase.
LähiTapiola’s supplementary insurance for telecommuting applies to work carried out remotely indoors as well as outdoors in the immediate vicinity of the telecommuting location when going on and returning from a break. The insurance also covers lunch and coffee breaks. The insurance does not cover breaks during which the employee leaves the telecommuting location, for example, to go buy groceries or to take a walk.
The supplementary insurance is valid until further notice and regardless of the country from which employees are telecommuting. The insurance covers harm caused by an accident, death and a per-diem allowance after an accident. The insurance does not cover equipment.
Until 30 June 2021, specialist and support staff can work more flexibly, on weekdays between 5.00 and 22.00. If necessary, they can also work on Saturdays until 18.00 and take a day off during the week. This makes it possible to rotate working hours in units, when necessary, upon an agreement between the supervisor and employee. Working hours must be clocked in as usual. Remote work must be clocked in as remote work.
Instructions for supervisors: Recruitment during the current exceptional circumstances at the University (on the Flamma intranet, requires login with University credentials)
Updated on 13 March: If you have contracted coronavirus, immediately notify your supervisor or teacher.
During the exceptional circumstances, you can, exceptionally, be absent from work for five days of illness without a medical certificate.
After five days, please call the OmaTyöterveys service or contact the Digital Clinic. A doctor or nurse can provide a medical certificate, primarily via a remote appointment. During the exceptional circumstances, an occupational health nurse can provide a medical certificate up to the 10th day of absence.
The five-day rule for absences due to illness also applies to caring for a sick child at home (in such cases, salary is paid for the first four days of absence).
If you suspect that you may have contracted coronavirus, complete a symptom assessment on the omaolo.fi website and follow the instructions to get tested by public healthcare. Further information on public coronavirus testing and services is available on the website of your municipality.
As of 1 January 2021, the coronavirus testing services offered by the University's occupational health provider can be used in the following exceptional cases only:
A referral to a coronavirus test can be obtained from the occupational health nurse assigned to your unit via the Digital Clinic.
If you are a new employee arriving from abroad, and your employment has not yet begun but you need to visit your workplace, you should, in the first instance, seek a coronavirus test at the airport when you arrive in Finland. If this is impossible, request a financial commitment from on-site HR Services to get tested for coronavirus by the occupational health provider.
In accordance with the instructions of the Regional State Administrative Agency (in Finnish), the employer is obliged to keep a list of employees exposed to coronavirus at work. The data will be listed retrospectively as of 15 November 2020 with the accuracy possible.
Instructions for supervisors: Notification of those exposed to THE COVID-19 virus (on the Flamma intranet, requires login with a university user name)
If you experience any symptoms of a cold or the flu, you must stay at home until you have not experienced these symptoms for at least 24 hours. For those working in healthcare, this limit is 48 hours.
If you are anxious and worried about the situation, support is available from occupational healthcare. The Huolikulma chat service offers easy-to-access support for staff. Early chat-based support may prevent concerns from developing into a major problem. The chat can be accessed in the Digital Clinic of the OmaMehiläinen application.
Occupational healthcare also offers dialogue-based support organised through remote services. Further information is available from Mehiläinen’s OmaTyöterveys service, contactable by phone at 010 414 0777 or via the OmaMehiläinen application.
A national coronavirus helpline has been established and can be contacted free of charge by calling 02 9553 5535. The helpline is open on weekdays from 8.00 to 21.00 and on Saturdays from 9.00 to 15.00. The service is available in Finnish, Swedish and English. The helpline provides general information about the coronavirus, not advice pertaining to health in general.
Mielenterveystalo’s digital support material relating to concerns and uncertainty due to the coronavirus epidemic (in Finnish only)
Further information on the latest developments as well as on the symptoms associated with the coronavirus and relevant protective measures is available on the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare website.
Instructions have also been published by Mehiläinen, the University’s occupational health provider.
You can book an appointment with an occupational health nurse through the online booking system. In this system, all bookings can be made for a phone consultation. In the field Additional information specify that you wish to book a phone consultation, and the occupational health nurse will call you.
You can also send a message to your designated occupational health nurse or doctor through the occupational healthcare tab in the OmaMehiläinen app.
To book an appointment for any other health specialist, you must call the OmaTyöterveys number 010 414 0777. Mehiläinen prefers remote consultation whenever possible.
Latest travel instructions of the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare.
Those in quarantine can also be provided dialogue-based support by occupational healthcare. Contact the OmaTyöterveys service either by calling 010 414 0777 or using the OmaMehiläinen app.
Kela will pay a sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease for the period of the employee’s absence from their work due to a quarantine. This allowance compensates for the loss of income incurred to the employee for the absence without pay. Further information on the Kela website
Whenever possible, an agreement on telecommuting should be made with the supervisor. If telecommuting is possible only partially, the employee may apply for a part-time leave of absence in the SAP HR system and, to compensate for the loss of income, independently apply for a sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease from Kela. Read more about telecommuting in the section Telecommuting, working on the University premises, working hours, leave.
Persons who record their working hours for externally funded projects must check whether their tasks in the project can be completed by telecommuting. Other tasks must be agreed on separately with the relevant unit director.
Notify your supervisor immediately of the quarantine and its estimated duration. Agree on any potential absences, telecommuting and/or holiday arrangements.
If you agree on an absence, apply for a leave of absence in the SAP HR system.
Kela will pay a sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease to the parent of a child under 16 years of age who has been ordered to stay home to prevent the spread of an infectious disease, causing loss of earnings. Apply for the sickness allowance from Kela.
In conjunction with telecommuting, persons who record their working hours for externally funded projects must check whether the assigned project-related tasks can be completed by telecommuting.
Read more from THL's website what you should do if a family member is quarantined.
Kela will pay a per diem allowance to persons in isolation or quarantine within the EU. A certificate of quarantine or isolation from a doctor authorised to order such restrictions in the country in question is required. Employees quarantined outside the EU are in a more complicated situation, for evidently Kela will not pay a per diem allowance for them.
Employees quarantined during a work-related trip will receive their normal salary during the quarantine (doctor’s certificates must be submitted to Payroll Services), in addition to which the employer will compensate any necessary costs incurred by the prolongation of the trip.
Whenever possible, an agreement on telecommuting should be made with the supervisor. Read more about telecommuting in the section Telecommuting, working on the University premises, working hours, leave.
In the case of employees quarantined during a holiday trip, the absence will be considered an absence without pay, unless otherwise agreed. At the moment, in cases of employees quarantined abroad, agreements on part-time telecommuting or holidays can be made.
Persons who record their working hours for externally funded projects must check whether their tasks in the project can be completed by telecommuting. Other tasks must be agreed on separately with the relevant unit director.
We recommend that all members of the University community download and install the Koronavilkku app. Please follow the instructions provided by the app.
Instructions for supervisors for exceptional circumstances (on the Flamma intranet, requires login with a university user name)
Travel abroad or in Finland must be limited to necessary travel only. The guidelines for travel restrictions set by the Finnish government must be observed. Always check the current situation of the regions where travel restrictions apply before booking a trip and travelling.
If you need to travel on a personal matter to a destination to which travel restrictions apply, agree in advance with your supervisor on telecommuting, a holiday or an unpaid leave of absence for the duration of your quarantine.
When travelling, the general travel recommendations issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland must be taken into account.
Decisions on overseas travel undertaken for essential work are taken by the University’s units. The University’s travel guidelines must be followed when making travel arrangements.
Employees must book trips through the CWT travel agency, making sure that the trip can be cancelled. Further travel information is available on Flamma.
Visiting scholars and teachers as well as visitors required for carrying out University operations can, when necessary, arrive at the University. However, safety and security guidelines as well as the guidelines set by the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare pertaining to a 14-day quarantine after arrival in Finland must be observed. Check the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare website for up-to-date information on coronavirus testing and the possibility of shortening your self-quarantine period.
If University operations are carried out in the facilities of other organisations, they may have practices of their own. Particularly in Meilahti, special attention should be paid to the instructions provided by the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa.
As an exception, the University of Helsinki will receive visitors whose visit is essentially linked to the continuity of support services for research and education, such as necessary equipment maintenance and deliveries. Visits must be planned and timed so that contact with University staff is as limited as possible. Visitors are sent general safety and security instructions in advance pertaining to the exceptional circumstances at the University.
The University’s travel insurance covers cancellations of trips to areas which the authorities classify as areas where all travel should be avoided for the planned duration of the trip. See the latest detailed information on the grounds for reimbursement on the website of the If insurance company. The travel insurance company If has announced that it will not compensate any work-related travel costs for trips cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic after April.
When cancelling or postponing a trip, you should contact the CWT travel agency, as they have booked the trip. If the time to departure is less than 48 hours, please call CWT customer service at +358 20 5615 635. In other cases, detailed instructions for related communication are available on Flamma (requires login with University credentials).
Primarily, reimbursement of the conference fee for a cancelled conference must be claimed from the conference organiser.
If certain expenses have not been reimbursed after the above claims, any such costs will be covered by the University and allocated to the project which would have covered the trip expenses in the first place.
Practical instructions of the Faculty of Arts for the exceptional situation
Practical instructions of the Faculty of Law for the exceptional circumstances
Practical instructions for the exceptional situation at the Faculty of Medicine
Arrangements in the Faculty of Pharmacy due to coronavirus
Special instructions on Kumpula Campus
Practical instructions of the Faculty of Social Sciences for the exceptional situation
Practical arrangements at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine during the coronavirus outbreak
Helsinki Institute of Life Science: Practical instructions for the exceptional situation at HiLIFE
Latest information for Open University students
Library Services at the Exceptional Situation Caused by Corona Virus
The effects of the coronavirus situation at the Luomus public attractions
The university acts responsibly and helps society in its efforts to battle the Corona COVID 19 epidemic. The University wants to ensure staff and student safety and at the same time enable everybody to continue their studies and research in these exceptional circumstances. Under the authority of the Rector, the Coronavirus Management Team will make necessary decisions required by the situation.
The University follows the recommendations and regulations of the Finnish State, the University Central Hospital (HUS) and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
A pandemic planning committee is active at the University. The chair of the committee is Vice-Rector Tom Böhling.
Furthermore, a management group has been established on the University level in accordance with the University's preparedness plan for emergencies, tasked with managing and coordinating practical matters related to preventing the spread of the coronavirus, as well as making decisions pertaining to the issue. This group is chaired by Director of Administration Esa Hämäläinen.
Read latest updates, symptoms caused by the coronavirus and ways to protect against it on the National Institute for Health and Welfare website: How to protect yourself against the Covid-19 -coronavirus.
The website also provides information to those arriving in Finland made by the National Institute for Health and Welfare.
Residents of Helsinki can call the city’s telephone advice service on the telephone number (09) 310 10024 if they experience symptoms or want to ask for advice regarding the coronavirus.
A national coronavirus helpline has been established and can be contacted free of charge by calling 02 9553 5535. The helpline is open on weekdays from 8.00 to 21.00 and on Saturdays from 9.00 to 15.00.
Updated on 10 March
Common safety guidelines must be taken into account on all restriction levels. The University complies with policies set by the authorities and regional coronavirus coordination groups. Support activities will be restored in stages according to operational needs. If the situation worsens, recovery will be suspended and the relevant restrictions imposed.
Decision-making: crisis management team and response centres
Associated with the community transmission phase of the epidemic, taking into account the prevention measures on tiers 1, 2 and 3 set by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
Decision-making: crisis management team and response centres
Partial lifting of restrictions to University operations
Decision-making: normal management system. Crisis management team and response centres, as authorised by the rector
Partial restrictions remain in place on University operations
Decision-making: normal management system
University operations in the new status quo