The halt of business as usual in the Commonwealth has not yet disrupted banks in Western Kentucky.
Popular banks in the region such as Community Financial Services Bank (CFSB), Planters, First Financial, Paducah Bank and The Murray Bank still have open lobbies, drive-thru services and regular operational hours.
Although the drive-thru banking model allows for the Center of Disease control's suggested 6 feet distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the virus can live on surfaces for 2 to 3 days. This means banks are exercising extra precaution in the transfer of cash and the shared use of pens, clipboards and transport containers used at banking windows.
The Murray Bank Vice President of Marketing Tim Stark said tellers are using hand sanitizers after each interaction, all surfaces are being cleaned hourly and shared utensils are being disinfected after each use.
“We are cleaning door handles and knobs. We're wiping down our lobby teller stands, our tellers are using ‘Germ-X’ after every transaction,” said Stark. “We're cleaning pretty much, well, anything that someone touches. We're cleaning at least once every hour.”
He does not predict the closure of lobbies at The Murray Bank locations.
“We are not to the point yet where we're going to close lobbies in the future, but we are having meetings about what next steps could be,” Stark said. “However, we do want to make sure to take every precaution we can so you know, that could change within the day or even within the hour. But, we are not to the point yet where we're gonna close lobbies in the future.”
CFSB Vice President of Marketing Jeremy Rose developed a plan three weeks ago in preparation for the spread of COVID-19 throughout the United States.
Comparing the pandemic to the ice storm of 2009, Rose said, “That was a situation where we really had to learn more about ourselves as a bank and what it was that we needed to do in situations where customers were definitely in need of their hard earned money," he said. “And so, we developed a plan at that point to use moving forward for any type of natural disaster. And obviously, this falls into that disaster category.”
CFSB plans to keep lobbies open, have no shutdowns, and keep regular business hours.
“Folks need their money, they need it at that time. They don't need it in a suspended moment they need it when they need it,” Rose said. “We want to do our best and try to give them that opportunity.”
