Lockdown bank transaction time 2.5 hours

Bank operation during lockdown:

• Bank customer transactions from 10am to 12:30pm
• Bank branches and head offices to remain open till 2pm for post-transaction activities
• Bank branches adjacent to sea ports, land ports, and airports to remain open for their regular hours
• Banks to maintain internet banking facilities at all times
• Banks must continue disbursement of loans including incentive packages

Other than on weekly and public holidays, customers will be able to engage in bank transactions for only two and a half hours from 10am to 12:30pm, during the announced week long lockdown from 5 to 11 April, 2021.

Bank branches and the concerned departments at their head offices will remain open till 2pm for post-transaction activities.

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.

Banks may decide at their own discretion how many staff members will be present at bank branches during transaction hours. They may consider using on a priority basis, bank staff living close to branches.

Those serving clients at a bank and the customers themselves will have to make sure they follow the hygiene rules prescribed by the government, said the DOS.

Meanwhile, the non-banking financial institutions will remain open from 10am to 2pm every day, except on weekly and public holidays.