HSBC Holdings PLC, Citigroup Inc and Bank of China (Hong Kong) said they would close all of their retail branches in Hong Kong temporarily on Saturdays from next week, as the territory scrambles to contain its worst outbreak of COVID-19.
HSBC, the territory’s largest lender, would also shut 11 more outlets starting from Wednesday after several staff tested positive for COVID-19, the London-based bank said in a statement.
The bank, which operates about 100 outlets in Hong Kong, last week closed some branches, including the one in its main office building in Central District.
Photo: Reuters
Bank of China (Hong Kong) would close a dozen branches temporarily from Wednesday, after employees had preliminary positive tests, while Citigroup shut two branches from Feb. 11, separate statements from the banks said.
Hong Kong has been hit by the worst outbreak since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with new infections now in the thousands each day.
The territory said it would conduct compulsory testing of its entire 7.4 million population three times next month, deploying a key mainland China strategy to slow the outbreak, which has pushed Hong Kong’s resources to the brink.
The financial hub is considering imposing increasingly draconian measures, with a Hong Kong lawmaker calling for a short lockdown to rein in the outbreak.
“This is a precautionary measure to safeguard the health and safety of the bank’s employees and customers in light of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong,” the HSBC statement said.
HSBC chief financial officer Ewen Stevenson on Tuesday said that there could be some disappointment in wealth revenues in the first quarter, as the bank had to close about half of its branches in Hong Kong.
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