HSBC Holdings Plc will re-open its main Hong Kong office on Monday (March 22), after being closed last week in the wake of three people testing positive for COVID-19.
“Precautionary measures -- such as wearing masks, pre-entry temperature screening, hand sanitizers, spaced queuing and portable acrylic screens at open banking counters -- will continue to be in place,” reads a statement from the bank.
The office underwent a deep cleaning and disinfection last week, it added.
The outbreak came as a wave of infections hit the city’s business and expatriate community. In a memo, HSBC is advising that only critical staff should come into any of its premises, with staff required to maintain a distance of at least 1.5 meters apart and wear masks at all times.
The bank’s iconic main building in Hong Kong is located at 1 Queen’s Road Central, in the heart of the city’s business district. Visitors who stayed at the building for more than two hours between March 3 and 16 were required to undergo virus testing.
The recent uptick in cases came after an outbreak at a Hong Kong gym popular among expatriates. The spread came just as the city was emerging from a prolonged round of social restrictions and venue closures. The infections prompted banks, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, to have more employees work from home.
(Source: Bloomberg)
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