Citi Watching Delta Variant Closely as It Maps Office Return

(Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc. is monitoring the rise of cases tied to the delta variant of the coronavirus closely as the Wall Street giant prepares to invite more of its staff back to U.S. offices in the coming months.

The firm will alter those plans if local health data suggests it’s unsafe to return to the office, Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason said on a conference call with journalists. While Citigroup is planning to allow most staff to work from home, the firm has said it expects almost all employees back at least part of the time starting in September.

“The delta variant, we’re watching that and we’re watching that closely,” Mason said on a conference call with journalists. “We’re going to let the data, not the dates, drive that return and if we see data that suggests we need to take a different course, then we’ll do so.”

Across New York City, companies are grappling over how to safely bring workers back to the office. With vaccination rates in some boroughs remaining stubbornly low, Covid-19 infections are climbing for the first time in months as the highly-transmissible variant gains traction. Still, the city’s positivity rate remains well below national levels.

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