Major banks in Hong Kong have suspended their back-to-office plans as a third wave of coronavirus infections—the worse yet—reaches the city, with some 500 new cases confirmed in just two weeks.
Citigroup and UBS Group are among the global banks that are holding off any immediate arrangements to bring employees back to the office, as the Asian financial hub scrambles to deal with an aggressive resurgence of the deadly virus.
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Meanwhile, several banks, including HSBC and Standard Chartered have closed branches or curtailed their working hours.
The storm after the calm
The rebound of covid follows a period that saw residents return to normal life, with most believing the city would continue to manage a low number of cases. But now the government is encouraging companies to allow employees to work from home.
Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has announced tighter coronavirus restrictions. She has ordered civil servants to work from home, keeping only emergency and essential public services open.
People must now wear face mask indoors in public spaces and on public transport. Restaurants, gyms, bars, and 10 other types of venues have been ordered closed until the end of July.
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By GlobalDataThe current mandate for restaurants to only provide takeaway after 6.00 pm has been extended.
A curfew might be needed
The first case of covid-19 was officially confirmed in Hong Kong on 23 January. But the current surge of cases is the most severe outbreak Hong Kong has yet experienced.
With so many cases virtually untraceable, official fear the bounce back could turn into a massive, sustained local outbreak.
The latest infections pushed the city’s tally to 1,958, with 12 fatalities. in addition, health authorities have so far recorded another 46 preliminary positive cases.
Speaking on a radio programme, infectious disease experts Professor David Hui Shu-cheong and Dr Ho Pak-leung warned the triple-figure surge would likely continue for the next few days and might not have peaked yet.
“A curfew will be needed if the situation continues to deteriorate,” Hui said.
However, Hong Kong health officials have said government will wait and see how effective latest preventive measures are before deciding on a city curfew.
