KOCHI: The banking sector employees are in a state of fear and anxiety after several of them have been infected with Covid-19 in recent days, forcing the co-workers and customers to go into quarantine and bank branches to shut down.At least 25 employees have been infected in Kerala so far, which has led to the shutdown of branches of both private and public sector banks.
Recently, an SBI branch at Mullaringad at Vanappuram near Thodupuzha in Idukki, was shut down for a week after an employee got infected. The branch was reopened only after the test results of other staff came negative.
In Kasaragod, five employees of Kerala Gramin Bank, Melparamb, tested positive for Covid. The Health Department has asked the customers who went to the bank from July 25 to go into self-quarantine. The branch has been shut till further orders.
“We are now allowing only five persons into the branch at a time. Still, people just come to enquire about bank balance or other things which can be easily done through a phone call,” said an SBI officer.
Bank branches that were shut in Kerala after the employees tested positive include Federal Bank (4 employees), South Indian Bank (2), SBI (2), IDBI (2), Kerala Gramin Bank (6), Kerala Bank (1), Bank of Baroda (1), Canara Bank (2), Union Bank of India (1), Malappuram DCB (2). HDFC Bank (1) and Bank of India (1).
Josson said the Kerala Gramin Bank branches at Trikkanad, Melparamb, Uppala, Kunjathur, Meeyappadav and Pavoor in Kasaragod were closed after six persons tested positive for Covid-19.The All Kerala Bank Employees’ Federation (AKBEF) on Monday said the federation had written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urging him to allow the banks to reduce the timings to 10am to 2pm across the state with the employees’ attendance restricted to a maximum of 50 per cent.
“The number of bank employees getting infected in the workplace is rising. This is worrying employees and their families,” said C D Josson, AKBEF general secretary.K S Krishna, national joint secretary, AIBEF, said the banking sector employs about 40,000 people in nearly 6,500 branches in Kerala. “It’s not practical to work without air-conditioners as there will be no air circulation otherwise. The branches have become highly vulnerable and employees are working earnestly in a very precarious condition when asymptomatic cases are on the rise,” said Krishna.
Some of the suggestions put forward by the federation include state-wide uniformity by allowing banks to close branches in critical/containment zones, keeping ATMs open and advising customers to enter bank premises only for essential transactions.
Suggestions
Reduce timings to 10am-2pm
Restrict attendance to 50%
Allow customers into branches only for essential transactions
Employees in containment zones should not be asked to work outside the zone
Keep branches in critical/containment zones closed and ATMs open