HCMC – Over 300 transaction offices of commercial banks in HCMC have suspended their operations as the city bans residents from leaving their homes from today, August 23, to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Orient Commercial Bank announced that only four of its transaction offices in the city, the Thu Duc, Tan Thuan and Tan Binh branches and the trading center on Le Duan Street in District 1, remained operational, while the others have stopped operating, starting from today until further notice.
Asia Commercial Bank has halted 103 of its transaction offices in HCMC from August 23 to September 6, while 34 others remain operational, Thanh Nien Online reported.
VPBank is maintaining the operations of only five branches: VPBank HCMC, Ben Thanh, Saigon, Gia Dinh and Cong Hoa, which are in stay-at-work mode.
The suspension of more than 300 banking transaction offices, which are mainly located in areas on lockdown, is aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 in the city, which is the country’s largest coronavirus hotbed, said Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy director of the central bank’s HCMC branch.
Despite the suspension, banks will still ensure cash is available in ATMs to meet the needs of residents, he added.
Due to the fast spread of Covid-19 in the city, banks have encouraged customers to make online transactions so as not to face financial transaction disruptions during the social distancing period.
