Banks to operate for 3hrs in extended lockdown

Md Joynal Abedin Khan

All scheduled banks will continue their operations for three hours from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm during the extended week-long lockdown from April 22 to April 28. 

Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday issued a circular confirming the schedule of the banking operation until April 28 soon after the Cabinet Division issued an order extending the lockdown for another seven days.

The BB circular also said, during the banking transaction hours, the banks have to ensure a different kind 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 instructed the banks 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.

Earlier on April 13, Bangladesh Bank issued a circular saying that the banks would make general transactions from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and stay open until 2:30 pm for necessary works on working days until April 21.

The previous circular also said that all other instructions would remain unchanged and that banks to keep one non-AD branch open within a two km radius in the city corporation areas and in upazila level one branch of each bank can open on Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday.

Banks have to ensure operation of the ATM booths to facilitate the transactions through cards by supply adequate cash in the machines, said the circular.