HSBC shuts floors at main building in Hong Kong and bank branches

[HONG KONG] HSBC Holding shut 4 floors of its main office in Hong Kong and some branches on Friday (Feb 18) after several staff tested positive for Covid.

HSBC is closing the BL1, L3, L5 and L6 floors at it main building in the Central district, the London-based bank said in a statement. Five branches in Tuen Mun and Mei Foo as well as commercial areas on Hong Kong Island were also shut. The lender has required employees at the concerned branches to take virus tests.

"This is a precautionary measure to safeguard the health and safety of the bank's employees and customers, while balancing the need to ensure normal banking services to the community," HSBC said in the statement.

Hong Kong is now in its worst wave of outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, with insufficient hospital beds to accommodate over 5,000 new cases each day. President Xi Jinping has called for the city of about 7.5 million people to take "all necessary measures" to contain Covid. BLOOMBERG