Banks will continue their operation hours from 10am to 2pm for normal transactions as the government extended the ongoing lockdown until May 23 to contain Coronavirus transmission.
However, banks will remain open until 3:30pm for conducting other necessary activities, said a Bangladesh Bank circular issued Sunday in compliance with the directives of the Cabinet Division.
Normally, banks operate from 10am to 4pm.
The BB circular said all other instructions will remain unchanged as per the circular of April 13. In that circular it said banks can keep one non-AD branch open within 2km radius in the city corporation areas and at upazila level one branch of each bank can remain open on Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday.
Banks have to take measures to provide transport facilities for the staff during the period.
The BB circular said during the banking transaction hours, banks have to ensure different kinds of services including clearing of cheques, withdrawal and deposits of money, money transfer, the release of remittance, encashment of different instruments and also receipt of the payments of bills of different utilities.
BB said banks have to continue services like disbursement of loans, incentives, payment of salaries of different industries and also the purchase of export bills, loan sanction and distribution.
Banks have to follow instructions in keeping the branches located in the port areas in discussion with the local administration and other authorities, as per the circular issued on August 5 last year, it said.
Banks have to operate with limited staff under a roster system.
They have to ensure the operation of ATM booths to facilitate transactions through cards by supplying adequate cash in the machines while the evening banking and weekly holiday banking activities will remain closed until further order, said the circular issued on April 13.
