Staff members who have not received their first dose should either get inoculated by November 30 or they will be subject to a Covid test every 14 days, according to an internal memo. The memo was confirmed by a bank spokesman.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and four other regulators issued circulars to financial institutions last week “strongly encouraging all employees to get vaccinated or undergo virus testing every two weeks,” according to HSBC.

The circulars expanded on a June request that staff in client-facing roles or support functions get vaccinated.

There were also reports suggesting that the Hang Seng Bank will be adopting the same measures shortly.

Hong Kong has struggled to get its population vaccinated, lagging behind rival financial centers such as Singapore, London and New York.

The city’s zero-Covid policy has been successful in keeping local cases at bay, and most businesses have been back to close to full capacity over the past months.