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The All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) on Monday requested Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to advice Goa government to restrict the banking hours in the state to prevent coronavirus spread.

In a letter to Sitharaman, AIBEA General Secretary C.H.Venkatachalam said: "As you well aware, the number of people getting affected by covid infection is on the high side in Goa. Number of bank employees have also got affected by the virus. Hence employees and officers working in the Branches in Goa are highly worried and concerned and are presently working in the Banks with lot of fear and apprehension."

According to Venkatachalam there is a need to restrict the business hours of Banks in Goa to reduce the footfall and thus reduce the chances of spread of the infection.

While in many other states the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) have given advisories and guidelines restricting the number of employees attending the banks daily, the Goan government nor the SLBC there have any such guidelines adding to the anxiety of the bank staff, Venkatachalam said.