Banks take preventive measures to protect public from coronavirus

Some corporate bodies and business entities, especially banking institutions, in the country are putting safety measures in place to protect their customers and clients against coronavirus.

This is in line with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s directive for corporate bodies and business entities to put safety measures in place to protect the citizens from the disease.

When the Ghanaian Times visited some of the corporate and business entities, especially the banks, in Accra on Wednesday, they had placed containers with water and soap as well as hand sanitizers in front of their premises for their customers and clients to wash their hands before entering the offices.

At the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Branch of GCB and other branches, the Ghanaian Times observed that the bank had placed ‘Veronica Buckets’ with water and soap in front of the bank for customers and clients to wash their hands before entering the banking hall.

Also, the bank had provided hand sanitizers fixed on the walls near the ATMS machines for customers to sanitize their hands before and after the banking transactions.

A source at the GCB Head Office told the Ghanaian Times that, management of the bank had put stringent safety measures in place to protect customers and staff of the bank.

He said the bank had supplied buckets, soap, and hand sanitizers to all the branches of the bank across the country to protect staff and customers from the coronavirus.

Some customers of the bank, who spoke to the Ghanaian Times, commended the management of the bank for putting measures in place to protect them and staff of the bank.

According to them, the bank had demonstrated that they care about their staff and customers.

Our correspondent, Frederick Gadese-Mensah, reports that other banks, including United Bank of Africa, had buckets and hand sanitizers placed outside their offices at vantage points for clients and employees to use before entering the banking hall.

Standard Chartered Bank, North Industrial Area Branch, had limited the number of clients within the banking hall to less than 10 customers at a time with the rest waiting outside the bank in an attempt to prevent overcrowding.

Customers were, however, advised to transact business online to further reduce the numbers within the banking hall.

Absa and Cal Bank branches at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange had also taken similar measures to prevent the spread of the disease, providing hand sanitizers at vantage points and security personnel wearing gloves and nose masks.

Coronavirus first broke out last year in Wuhan in China, with Ghana recording its first case on March 12, 2020, and currently, there are nine confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.