Since Rwanda confirmed its first Coronavirus case, members of the public have been avoiding public spaces as recommended by the Ministry of Health in the country.

Banks,  which are often characterized by long queues and gatherings, seemed to have less traffic at the beginning of the business week, on March 16, except for a few.

For the few exceptions, queues are noticeable upon entrance but with bank staff calling for distancing between clients and also urging them to use digital services.

The move is to comply with recommendations of the Ministry of Health about measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Talking to The NewTimes, Athanasie Niragira, Head of Marketing and Customer services at Equity Bank Rwanda, revealed that they are urging their customers to go digital. 

"Why do you need to come to the bank when you can use your phone or card for transactions; be it loans, payments, loans or airtime top-up,” said Athanasie Niragira

She added that people can also use ATMs for withdrawal of cash if need be.

Among other measures taken, she explained had been established by the bank is one meter distance when queuing within the bank halls or as they wait to enter the ATM booths.

Asked why those measures had not yet been implemented as of Monday morning, she said that "the management had just established them from a meeting that has just concluded and we’re immediately going to implement them.”

The New Times observed the same case in most of the banks but noted that there was mandatory use of hand sanitizers before entering any of the institutions.

Alternatives of going  to line up in the bank

In their efforts to digitize banking services, most local banks have adopted the use of online services or provide their services through online applications.

As opposed to having to visiting banks, one may use these applications. Normally, they entail transfer services, purchasing airtime and sending money to mobile money, which may be helpful during this time to facilitate social distancing.

Another alternative is the use of mobile money as people do not need to handle money during payments of goods and services.

 ‘Tapping’ is also another alternative for payment methods. This is where one taps a card or their phone on NFS enabled gadgets as a payment option.

The alternatives should encourage shops, restaurants, and bars as well as other service providers to avail of the cashless payment methods to their customers.