Butterfield Bank will reduce its banking hours at all three local branches during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Effective on Wednesday, until further notice, the Reid Street, Hamilton, St George and Somerset banking centres will operation from 9am to 1pm, Monday through Friday.

Saturday banking services have been suspended until further notice. Social distancing measures are also in place at all banking centres, with customers required to maintain a minimum of 6ft between each other while queueing for service, and only a limited number of customers permitted in the banking centre at one time.

A spokesman for the company said Butterfield Bank was taking these steps to help minimise the risks of Covid-19 infection for both customers and employees. Butterfield is also encouraging customers to conduct banking transactions electronically, using Butterfield Online, the mobile banking app and at ATMs wherever possible, rather than visiting its banking centres.

In addition, customers are requested to call the consumer credit department on 298-4799 to discuss their borrowing needs.

Butterfield also announced that, due to the disruptions associated with Covid-19 containment efforts in the community, it is extending the deadline for applications for all three Butterfield scholarships (undergraduate scholarship for employees’ children, post-graduate, and Sir Harry D Butterfield undergraduate) to April 24.