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Summary
- Customers are supposed to wear masks and observe safe distancing protocols while visiting bank branches.
- Flouting of rules could lead to account closures and attract penalties.
Footsie listed banking & financial services company, HSBC Holdings Plc (LON: HSBA) has warned its customers to wear a mask in order to mitigate the risk of catching infection amid the soaring cases of coronavirus in the UK. Bank customers have been advised to wear face masks while visiting branches or else they could be asked to close their accounts if they refuse to follow the rules. Notably, as a part of essential services, banks are supposed to remain open during the third lockdown in England.
All Britons are expected to wear a mask while visiting any public place, including banks and government offices as part of the directives issued by the British government. However, there could be circumstances where the visitors might be allowed to take off their masks. For instance, people suffering from medical ailments could be allowed to enter branches without masks. Also, the bank might need to identify the account holder for authorising a transaction or locker operation.
As per the guidelines, customers could be fined £200 for disobeying the rule of not wearing a face mask in a public place. Constant breach of rules can lead to the doubling of fines, up to a maximum of £6,400. Customers are expected to wear masks and observe safe distancing protocols.
(Image source: ©Kalkine Group 2020)
Also read: HSBC Indicate Dividend Payment amid Regulators Consideration of Letting Banks Pay Dividend
Customers are being persuaded to use Internet banking or phonebanking services and only visit branches if necessary. The owner of Marks & Spencer Bank and First Direct, HSBC Holdings issued an advisory for their customers. HSBC, one of the leading banks in the UK, denied any account closures so far on the basis of new mask rules. The bank’s latest advisory on wearing face masks might extend to M&S Bank customers as First Direct only allows online banking.
Other major banks in the UK, such as NatWest, Lloyds Banking Group, are expected to enforce similar guidelines as the UK recorded the highest number of deaths on Tuesday. At the moment, the UK has more than 3,000 thousand active coronavirus cases.
