Citi reinstates mask requirement in offices after CDC update

Citigroup has gone back to requiring employees —
regardless of their vaccination status — to don masks when they’re in the office, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Workers can remove their masks when at their desks or while eating in the cafeteria, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel information.

Citi sign

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised fully vaccinated individuals to once again start wearing masks in public indoor settings in places where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly. Most major U.S. urban areas fall under the scope of that advisory, including New York City, where Citigroup is headquartered.

Banks have been among the strongest proponents of returning staff to offices, though Citigroup isn’t expecting the vast majority to come back until September. Chief Executive Jane Fraser has long said her decisions to allow more workers back would be dictated by local health data and not stringent deadlines or dates.

Citigroup’s move follows Walt Disney’s announcement that it’s requiring masks again at its theme parks in Florida and California. Some technology giants are going further than their counterparts on Wall Street: Facebook and Alphabet’s Google have told employees they will require them to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to return.

Bloomberg News
Coronavirus Workforce management Citigroup
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