Saturday 29 January 2022

Deputy Controller of the National Pandemic Response Dr Daoni Esorom has urged management of commercial banks to ensure  its queues are minimized and everyone  wears  a  mask.

Dr Daoni expresses concern  in light of   the  long, unmanaged queues at the banks, which he believes, pose a risk for the spread of COVID-19.  

“I’m concern at seeing that there’s been long queues at the banks; people standing in queues are not wearing masks, both inside and outside the bank,’’ said Dr Daoni.

“You see these happening all over the country in the banks.

“Bank buildings are confined areas that can also be a hub for the spread of COVID-19 infections, including the Delta and Omicron variants.

“They must also ensure that all the bank employees are vaccinated to protect themselves, their work colleagues and families,’’ he said.

The Deputy Controller has also urged the bank management to make sure the queues are managed at the ATMs, and the ATMs are sanitized as they are used by a lot of people.

“The surfaces at the ATMs can be a reservoir for COVID-19 as they are used by a lot of people.

 “Currently, most ATMS are not sanitized. People frequently touch surfaces of ATMs where they can contract COVID-19.’’

He urged the bank management to liaise with the National Control Centre to devise a Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19 workplace safety and operations to minimise the spread of the virus in the bank workplaces.

Dr Daoni also appealed to the people to make sure they are vaccinated as they can get COVID-19 in crowded places like banks or even spread the virus to others.