Santander Brasil has decided to send part of its workforce on 15 days furlough in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
The Brazilian unit of Spain’s Banco Santander did not disclose the number of workers or branches affected.
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The 15 days leave will take effect from 24 March onwards.
The move follows the bank’s decision to shutter its branches in both the cities due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Central Bank of Brazil has urged all the banks in the region to adjust their branch working hours to less than five hours per day.
The monetary authority is also advising bank customers to use digital means for their banking needs, to avoid personal visits to branches.
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By GlobalDataBanks around the world are working to keep their business running amid the coronavirus spread.
Coronavirus cases have continued to swell in the US in recent days.
The pandemic has so far claimed 10,000 lives and infected approximately 244,000 people.
Recently, JPMorgan asked employees around the world to work from home and many European banks shuttered hundreds of branches to curb the Covid-19 spread.
Earlier this month, major American banks imposed restrictions on international travel to immune their operations and Wells Fargo was also one of those banks.
The European Central Bank (ECB) also asked a majority of its 3,500 staff in Frankfurt to work from home to measure its coronavirus (COVID-19) preparations.
Last week, HSBC Bank sent more than 100 employees home after a worker from the research department tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
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