London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

HSBC, Standard Chartered reinstate work-from-home measures as ‘third wave’ of coronavirus hits Hong Kong

HSBC, Standard Chartered reinstate work-from-home measures as ‘third wave’ of coronavirus hits Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s banks were some of the first globally to return to work during coronavirus pandemic. Banks from BNP Paribas to HSBC are ‘strongly’ encouraging employees to work from home if possible

After serving as a test run globally for how to return to the office safely, banks in Hong Kong reinstated work-from-home arrangements for many of their staff this week as a “third wave” of coronavirus cases hit the city.

HSBC, the biggest of three banks authorised to issue currency in the city, “strongly encouraged” its staff to work remotely beginning on Wednesday until further notice, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions.

“To support flexible working, employees who must work from HSBC premises should discuss working arrangements, including staggered arrival and lunch times, with their line manager,” HSBC said in a memo late on Tuesday.

A HSBC spokeswoman confirmed the contents of the memo on Wednesday.

Banks in Hong Kong were some of the first globally to return to the office en masse beginning in May as the coronavirus pandemic forced financial centres from New York to London to Singapore to close offices as part of the world’s biggest work-from-home experiment.

The coronavirus, which causes the disease Covid-19, has infected more than 13.3 million people worldwide.

The International Commerce Centre (ICC) in West Kowloon and other office towers in the city reprogrammed lifts to carry fewer passengers. Banks installed privacy screens on trading desks and at bank teller locations to prevent the spread of droplets between colleagues and customers. Conferences in the city, as well as business meetings, went virtual.

But, the city ordered some of its strictest social-distancing measures so far this week after a surge in new locally transmitted cases, including a requirement that passengers wear masks on public transit. Bars, karaoke rooms and gyms were among a dozen businesses ordered closed beginning Wednesday and restaurants can only provide takeaway after 6pm.

BNP Paribas said in an internal memo this week it would begin splitting teams and suspended travel by employees between different floors in its buildings and visits by staff between its offices in the city. The bank asked employees to limit any meetings to no more than eight people, per city guidelines, and to “consider the necessity of planning further in-person meetings – both internal and external”.

A BNP Paribas spokeswoman declined to comment on Wednesday.

As a result of the surge in cases, Citigroup is pausing its plans to bring more people back to the office in Hong Kong, with 70 per cent of its staff in the city now working from home. About 50 per cent of its staff worked from home before the pause.

Deutsche Bank asked “non-critical staff” to work from home when possible, whilst Nomura encouraged the bulk of its staff to return to working from home as much as possible. Nomura had returned fully to the office last week.

Standard Chartered encouraged its employees to work from home where possible and put a “hard-split team” arrangement into effect for employees who had to work in the office to reduce the risk of infection, a spokeswoman said.

Branch staff will work from home one day each week to reduce physical contact and branches will close temporarily for deep cleaning and disinfection if there is a confirmed case nearby, she said. Customers are required to wear masks and undergo temperature checks when visiting its branches in the city.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×