Canada’s major banks to require employees entering premises to be vaccinated By Reuters

By Nichola Saminather

TORONTO (Reuters) – Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) will require employees entering their premises to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from this fall, according to company memos seen by Reuters on Friday.

The moves follow a similar measure announced to staff by Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) on Thursday as companies battle the spread of the coronavirus in their offices.

All TD employees entering its buildings will be required to be vaccinated from Nov. 1 and will be asked to register their vaccination status by Sept. 30, according to a memo from TD’s Chief Human Resources Officer Ken Lalonde seen by Reuters on Friday.

Additional protocols, including the completion of a learning module about the benefits of vaccination and mandatory rapid testing and a face covering, will be required of staff who are not yet fully vaccinated or have not disclosed their vaccination status.

CIBC will require employees to be vaccinated by Oct. 31 in regions where they can be, including in Canada and the United States, according to an internal blog distributed on Friday.

Staff already on site can continue as they have been for now, but “if you haven’t been vaccinated and are able, now is the time,” Group Head, People Culture and Brand Sandy Sharman said in the blog.

RBC will also require all employees to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31 to work in its locations, according to an internal note from Chief Human Resources Officer Helena Gottschling to global employees on Thursday.

Employees, starting in Canada and the United States and followed by other regions where applicable, will be asked to confirm their vaccination status, she said.

Similar steps have been taken by U.S. counterparts, with banks including Citigroup Inc (NYSE:) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:) requiring staff entering their New York headquarters to be vaccinated. Bank of America Corp (NYSE:) has said it will allow only vaccinated staff to return to its offices in early September.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:) has been requiring employees to be fully vaccinated if they choose to work from an office as part of its re-opening pilot, according to guidance from Canada’s second-biggest life insurer.

A spokesperson for National Bank of Canada (OTC:) said the lender had nothing to add at this time.