Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc has urged customers to keep safe as banking operations resume following the gradual easing of a five-week lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun.
The bank in a statement on Monday thanked customers for their “understanding and patience during the period of skeletal banking operations.”
“For us, the COVID-19 Pandemic is first and foremost a humanitarian challenge, so our primary focus is to safeguard lives. As we go into the phased easing of lockdown protocols, we need to work with you to make our return to work safe,” the bank said.
GTBank said that with the re-opening of some of its branches from May 4, it had put together some “key areas of collaboration which, with your active participation, will enable us to greatly mitigate a potential spread of the coronavirus.”
The bank said: “On our part, we will provide hand sanitisers, carry out individual temperature checks and ensure that there is adequate spacing between people. On your part, kindly ensure that you have your face mask on and also make use of the hand sanitisers at the entrance of all our branches.
“Physically keeping away from others, for now, goes a long away in neutralising the ability of the Coronavirus to spread. Hence, we also have to work together in this area to ensure that we reduce physical contact to the barest minimum when you visit our branches.
“On our part, we are taking steps to ensure transactions at the banking halls are conducted at a safe distance from one another. On your part, we would strongly encourage you to cooperate with our security personnel at our branches in maintaining order at our branches.”
The bank said it would pay extra diligence to cash handling and would only give out cash that has been adequately processed.
“On your part, please bear with us as cash deposits over a certain amount in the banking halls will take 48 hours, in order to allow our staff to take all necessary precautions in the processing of the cash. You can also take advantage of our cash deposit ATMs, which will continue to allow you to complete your deposits instantly,” it said.
“As we recover from this pandemic, it is critical to have a Plan B, in the event that something goes wrong. That is why we have segmented our branches into sets, so that whilst we all make use of one set of branches, we could quickly switch to another set if we have to shut down a branch due to an outbreak.
“We will also be keeping you informed of which set of branches will be open on a weekly basis, so please look out for our communication via our corporate website, email and on social media.”
The bank urged its customers to help reduce the chances of mass gatherings at its branches by making use of its e-channels and self-service platforms, saying it has endured that its digital banking platforms are running optimally.
