Feb 22 (Reuters) - Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce , the country's fifth largest lender, said on Tuesday it plans to bring its local staff back to office starting March 21 as omicron-related infections ebb.

The Canadian employees, who had been asked to work remotely in December as infections resurged, would return to office on a hybrid basis, Sandy Sharman, group head of people, culture and brand at CIBC, said in a memo seen by Reuters.

Meanwhile, the bank's U.S-based staff started to return on a voluntary basis on Jan. 28.

As the number of coronavirus cases sparked by the omicron-variant subsides, Canadian provinces have begun relaxing restrictions on public gatherings.

About 7,000 new infections, nearly 17% of the peak reported in early January, are reported on average each day in Canada, according to data compiled by Reuters. (Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)