Business Desk :
Bangladesh regulators have decided to keep banks open for transactions from 10 am to 12:30 pm and stock exchanges for two hours during the coronavirus lockdown that starts on today (Monday).
After transactions, the banks can remain open until 2 pm to complete other tasks, Bangladesh Bank said in a notice on Sunday.
Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission said that the stock exchanges will have a 15-minute post-closing time after 12 pm.
The instructions will be effective from Apr 5 to Apr 11. Operations will remain closed on weekly and public holidays. However, bank branches adjacent to sea ports, land ports, and airports, will remain open for their standard and regular hours. In this case, they must follow their previous standard procedures and hygiene rules.
Banks must provide adequate cash at booths to ensure that ATM and card transactions continue smoothly. They also have to ensure necessary security and health protection measures at their booths. If applicable, banks have to maintain their internet banking facilities at all times, said instructions regarding bank transactions, issued on Sunday by the Bangladesh Bank’s Department of Offsite Supervision (DOS).
It said banking services have been restricted to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 as per directive from the Cabinet Division.
The DOS instructed banks to ensure the carrying out of all essential transactions for customers within the reduced banking hours. They must ensure cash transactions, treasury challans (bills), utility bill submissions, purchase or cashing of savings certificates, and all other transactions under the payment system or clearing system.
According to the DOS, there should be no interruption in the transaction as well as in the disbursement of loans. Banks have to continue the disbursement of all types of loans, including incentive packages. Also, banks have to continue transactions in their foreign trade branches (authorised dealers).
A bank can keep one online branch closed if it has two such branches within two kilometers in the city corporations and district sadar upazilas.
Banks have to hang notices in visible places at their closed branches. They also have to keep open, the branches that do not have online facilities.
