With the rise of coronavirus cases across the U.S. this summer, especially in southern and western states, the American Bankers Association has recommended that banks require anyone entering a branch to wear a face mask.
“Requiring the use of masks and face coverings is a step every bank can take to ensure that our industry is doing everything it can to protect our employees, customers and the communities we serve,” Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO, said in a statement. “We owe it to frontline bank staff to prioritize their safety and to contribute to the wider effort to limit the spread of this infection.”
Nichols sent a letter Sunday recommending face masks to ABA member after consulting with the trade organization’s executive committee, the statement said.
Massachusetts has had a mask mandate since early May, when Gov. Charlie Banker required face masks or cloth face coverings in public places where social distancing is not possible.
The Massachusetts Bankers Association and the Cooperative Credit Union Association said in a joint statement in late May that the state’s banks and credit unions would have face mask requirements in branches. The trade organizations acknowledged that in the past, face masks were a sign of a bank robbery.
“Who could have imagined that wearing a face mask when entering a financial institution today would be the appropriate and mandatory thing to do? In days past, wearing a mask in a financial institution meant one thing only, a robbery was about to occur,” the organizations said.
Before the surge in COVID-19 cases, in early June, acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks had sent letters to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities and the National Association of Governors noting that face mask requirements could lead to more bank robberies.
To address security concerns, some banks have customers briefly remove the mask. At Fitchburg-based Rollstone Bank, which reopened its lobbies to customers last week, customers must lower their mask so that security video can capture their image, the bank said in a statement.
Anyone who arrives without a mask receives a disposable one from a staff member. Other public health measures that Rollstone Bank has taken include limiting the number of customers in a branch to four at one time, installing safety shields at the teller line and in the customer service offices, and giving disposable pens to customers who need one.
Berkshire Bank on its website has asked anyone who chooses not to wear a mask to use a drive-through window or other banking options, including online tools.
While the use of online banking has increased since the pandemic, some customers prefer to use branches. Rob Cozzone, chief operating officer at Rockland Trust, told Banker & Tradesman that branches saw a steady flow of customers when lobbies first reopened. After months of having branch access limited to appointments, Cozzone said, customers took advantage of being able to walk into a branch, even if they had to wait in line.
The ABA also acknowledged that some customers prefer using branches.
“We have seen a significant increase in online banking across the country, but we realize some customers occasionally need to visit a branch and some prefer it,” said Paul Benda, ABA’s senior vice president for Risk Management. “The data clearly show that wearing a mask or face covering when indoors reduces the threat of infection for everyone, which is why we are urging banks of all sizes to adopt this policy.”
