Banks to close at 2pm to allow staff beat curfew
Several commercial banks have announced that they will revise their time of closure to allow staff enough time to get home so as not to be caught by the 7pm curfew.
While some banks have not yet indicated that they will shift from the 3pm closing time, at least two banks have sent messages to their customers saying they will be closing at 2pm. All say their branches remain closed on weekends.
Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) said in a text to customers on Wednesday that, “We will be closing our branches at 2pm effective today to manage the government curfew time. Apologies for any inconveniences.”
The Kololo-headquartered Orient bank also informed its customers that it would open at 9am and close at 2pm for mostly city-based branches. The bank spokesperson Mr Emmanuel Njuki said the rationale for a change in operation time is “to help staff beat curfew.”
The biggest challenge for most people working in the city centre has been the traffic jam that builds up from 3pm with snarl-ups stretching for kilometres as people rush home before curfew.
Police said on Wednesday that motorists who had been arrested on Tuesday night for flouting curfew regulations were cautioned and released that night but warned on tougher measures like impounding of vehicles and charging those that will be caught flouting curfew time in the subsequent days.
Meanwhile, as government continues to ease the lockdown, most commercial banks have let the branches that were shut during total lockdown to open. On Monday, Absa said that all its branches will be fully operational from May 26, 2020, from 9am to 3pm. They will be closed on weekends. Bank of Africa, whose branch on Kampala road had been closed, also opened it this week.
The release of private vehicles means people have some flexibility to open their businesses and starting work. The demand for bank services consequently increases.
