(Corrects first paragraph to say that return to office is regardless of vaccination status)
(Reuters) – Canadian insurer Manulife Financial Corp said on Tuesday that employees can return to its offices across Canada from April 25 regardless of vaccination status, amid a fall in COVID-19 infections.
The country’s biggest life insurer has asked staffers to return under a hybrid model with certain days of the week designated for remote work, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
Guidelines on mask mandates and physical distancing will be set in line with local regulations, the memo said.
Several financial firms across Canada and the United States that had postponed their back-to-office plans late last year are now looking to reopen offices and bring back employees with fresh coronavirus guidelines.
Earlier this month, Manulife had opened select office locations as a part of its return-to-office plans in Canada after COVID-19 cases in the country declined.
Canadian lender Bank of Nova Scotia issued a similar guidance in February allowing staffers to return to the majority of its Canadian offices on a voluntary basis from mid-March.
(This story corrects first paragraph to say that return to office is regardless of vaccination status)
(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru and Nichola Saminather in Toronto; Editing by Maju Samuel)