COVID affects bank’s services, salary payments
A COVID-related problem has caused the temporary closure of a local bank and caused some workers at least one government statutory body not to be paid their salaries yesterday.
CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank said in a notice yesterday that its Road Town branch “is closed until further notice”. Official reports to our news centre are that the closure is because of COVID-19.
The bank also told customers that they could access their accounts at any of its ATMs, online, and/or on its mobile banking services.
The bank said that due to a combination of issues beyond its control, the salaries of employees who bank with CIBC will be delayed.
The bank’s temporary closure caused a delay in the payment of salaries of persons employed with the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA).
In an email sent to employees, the BVIHSA informed staff that salaries will not be paid on time this month-end because of banking issues.
The email also said employees banking with Banco Popular and FirstBank will also be affected.
The BVIHSA has one of the largest staff contingents in the territory.
The situation at CIBC comes on the heels of two reported cases of COVID-19 at the Elmore Stoutt High School’s junior campus. This has halted face-to-face learning at the educational facility.
There are currently 39 known active cases of COVID-19 in the BVI.
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Its all well and good to do internet banking but when you need to deposit checks and get large sums of cash out how can you do business. We would like to know when the bank will resume and hopefully they wont charge late fees.
The secret is finally out
Which is it Covid in the bank or no money in the account that lead to the staff not being paid? Something obscure reference to a deadline not being made was in the letter.
If the funds were released to the Bank why were they not credited or deposited into the Health Services Employees Accounts? Something just not adding up! The Management of this Bank is displaying a nonchalant attitude with People. If you don’t want to display dignity and humanitarian demeanor find another profession.
Don’t employees work online, so no reason for transfer to Health Services Employees Accounts not happening. Or is everybody at CIBC just on another paid vacation like every time we have a few Covid cases in the BVI
Don’t know about the “paid vacation” bit, but it does seem to me that in this day & age all this is done by computer anyway so why this couldn’t have been remotely is a mystery to me.
Really, what is the bottom line on this story? How can COVID remotely effect anyone bank account? Unless the monies was not deposited by the BVIHSA. Seriously!