HSBC Holdings in the banks Asia headquaretrs in Hong Kong will remain closed until further notice, the bank announced Wednesday, following three new infections in the building this week.
Visitors to the HSBC office over the last two weeks will be required to take COVID tests as prescribed by the city's Centre for Health Protection.
"It is our understanding that HMB can return to normal business when virus testing of colleagues and deep cleaning of the facility are complete," the company said in an internal memo viewed by Bloomberg.
HSBC has more than 30,000 employees at its regional headquarters in Hong Kong, where the bank was based until relocating head offices to London in 1993.
"For banking services, we have well-developed contingency measures that ensure our services and critical processes continue to be maintained," HSBC said.
Bronze lions Stitt and Stephen, survivors of WW II-era Japanese bullets and fires set by protesters last year, were surrounded by health workers in full protective gear Wednesday morning as the building locked its doors to workers.
The bank has not given a date for reopening yet.
HSBC is the latest white collar firm in Hong Kong to temporarily reduce or completely halt in-office working over the last week, following a new cluster of infections surrounding a gym popular with expatriates in the city.
Some UBS employees are working from home once again, while half of Goldman Sachs staff have been asked to revert to remote working.
The city of roughly 8 million has reported just over 11,000 COVID cases to date - a number kept low by stringent traveler quarantining measures and intense social distancing protocol that has seen thousands sent to government facilities for temporary seclusion.
Two vaccines, America's Pfizer-BioNTech and Chinese Sinovac, are now being distributed across Hong Kong with eligibility requirements lowered this week to include anyone over the age of 30.
