Banks now become hotspots for Coronavirus cases

Nellore: Banks now turning as hotspots for coronavirus as the staff members are not taking any measures to implement physical distancing norm and handwash facility.

Due to skeletal staff, some banks are stressed and failed to manage the crowds. On the other hans, some banks having adequate staff and security guard at the entrance are allowing customers one by one and asking them to wash hands using sanitizer.

In fact, educated people are not visiting banks for transactions as they have been completing them online using apps of concerned banks. They accustomed to use bank apps and other private apps for completing transactions from the lockdown period. Now, people who wish to open new accounts, uneducated pensioners who are having no ATM cards, a mandatory presence in case of realising agriculture and commercial gold loans, submitting papers for housing and other loans are visiting the branches.

"Banks are not following these containment measures strictly due to the staff shortage and also due to workload. We are having only limited sub-staff members who look after internal documentation, record-keeping work and also assisting the staff members at the cash cabins and other sections. Many small branches are having no guard facility and hence crowd management becomes burdensome for us," said a bank manager from Nellore city.

Because of shortage of sub staff and security personnel, many rural branches are facing severe problem for controlling customers who enter the bank premises without precautionary measures.

"In such circumstances, we are not simply objecting them to confine to the main hall. But they do not understand the situation hence majority of rural branches are being closed due to infected staff members," said an officer from BR Palem mandal. In many mandals, branch managers, staff members are getting infected due to unavoidable contacts with the customers, he rued.