Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited (RBBL) permanently closed the Airport Branch and Bureau de Change, citing the “unique challenges” its size presented in observing public health protocols.
In a media release on Monday, the Bank said it was the smallest branch and it was difficult to maintain the “the current physical distancing measures that have been strictly enforced” as the island battles the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Noting that the Airport Branch was in operation for over 40 years, Managing Director and CEO Anthony Clerk explained: “Many factors contributed to the decision to close this operation such as increasing costs coupled with the fact that the Airport branch is a small branch and presented many challenges.
“Logistically, it was no longer feasible for us to continue our operations there under the current conditions given the physical distancing protocols for both our customers and staff. The safety and wellbeing of our staff and our customers remain our priority. With this in mind, we regrettably took the decision to close the branch.”
Clerk apologised for the inconvenience and said customer accounts would be transferred to the Six Road, St Philip branch. All impacted customers will be formally notified.
The 17 staff will be reassigned throughout the network, the bank said.
“Reassigning our employees is of course in keeping with the Bank’s long-standing commitment to our staff to maintain jobs. I want to thank them for their excellent service throughout these challenging times,” Clerk said. (PR/SAT)
