THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Fear looms large over the banking industry in the state with Covid cases crossing the 600-mark among bank employees and two of them succumbing to the infection.
The figure was revealed by the All-Kerala Bank Employees’ Federation (AKBEF), which has called for urgent precautionary measures by the state government and the State-Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC).
“The actual figure is around 700, but we do not have the details of the remaining cases. Most of them, including women and nursing mothers, had come into direct contact with customers. We are worried since the customer footfall continues to be the same despite the alarming rise in local transmission cases,” AKBEF general secretary C D Josson told TNIE.
The two deaths were reported from Kottayam and Wayanad.
There are around 200 active cases and a few hundreds on quarantine. Many employees are forced to avail themselves of their eligible leaves during the quarantine period, according to the federation.
Lately, managements have restricted work flexibility, said Josson.
“Earlier, pregnant women and those with comorbidities were allowed to work from home. Now, most managements have limited this facility to women in advanced stages of pregnancy. Others are asked to go on leave,” he said.