ST. CLOUD -- It has been over two years now since Capital One has had virtually all of its employees working from home, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, it doesn't look like they are going to be returning to the office anytime soon.

A company spokeswoman tells WJON news they 'continue to prioritize the health and safety of our associates and our communities". She says back in October they made the decision not to reopen their U.S. offices until 2022, and they have not made any additional changes to their policies yet.

For St. Cloud that means 600 Capital One employees that are not going to work downtown every day.

St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce President Julie Lunning says it's an additional hit to the businesses downtown.

We were hopeful that Capital One employees would be back in full force again, that we'd see three shifts downtown and full parking lots and a lot of hustle-bustle during the lunch hour, and happy hour, and dinner.  But that's just not happening, unfortunately.

Capital One's most updated policy from October, says their associates will be provided a 30-day advance notice before any decision to fully reopen U.S. offices, or moving into a hybrid work approach.

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Meanwhile, Lunning says the return to large-scale events at the River's Edge Convention Center is helping to bring more foot traffic to downtown St. Cloud.

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