Coronavirus lockdown | Bank timings to be regulated in Kerala

Transactions to be carried out from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Monday to Thursday

Jan Dhan account-holders wait outside the Bank of India branch at Thiruvallam in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.

Bank timings will be regulated from Monday, given the need for strict adherence to social distancing norms to prevent the possibility of COVID-19 spread.

From Monday to Thursday, bank transactions will be carried out only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) said. The disbursal of pensions and financial assistance will be as follows: State pension accounts with numbers ending in ‘6’ and ‘7’ (April 6) and numbers ending in ‘8’ and ‘9’ (April 7). Jan Dhan accounts ending in numbers ‘4’ and ‘5’ (April 7), ‘6’ and ‘7’ (April 8), and ‘8’ and ‘8’ (April 9). The SLBC has also urged customers to use digital options for transactions as much as possible.

Police directive

State Police Chief Loknath Behra has issued directions to District Police Chiefs to facilitate the free movement of bank employees on duty during the lockdown period.

A press note quoting him said banks would be asked to keep the number of employees to the minimum. The list of employees should be handed over to the police to make arrangements for their free movement to the workplace and back home.