States have begun to reopen the economy and many financial institutions are seeing increases in customer/member traffic in their branches. For financial institutions that remained open or those that recently reopened, now is the time to assess the effectiveness of your safety strategy.  Financial institutions can expect to need this safety strategy for at least the next 24 months.  According to experts, COVID-19 is a risk until antibodies are present from a vaccine or recovery from the virus. An approved vaccine is still 12 to 18 months away and the millions of doses needed just for the U.S. will extend the time frame even further.

For branch locations, software programs aid the development of optimal social distancing design for employees and customers/members. Other components of the social distancing design include the following:

• Adhesive directional and queue line markers on the floor at 6-foot intervals provide a clear path for members to safely follow as they wait for an available teller, meeting location or to the exit.
• It is recommended to determine the maximum number of employees and members the branch can safely accommodate.
• Have a plan to secure the branch once the number of employees and members is reached.
• Consider developing an exterior queue line with social distancing markers for those members waiting to enter the branch.

Video system analytics can enhance the monitoring of social distancing. The following are some of key features:

• The analytics software provides a virtual 6-foot "halo" around each person inside the branch.  A person with a green 6-foot "halo" indicates appropriate distancing and a red "halo" indicates 6-foot distancing was not achieved.
• This system can generate reporting for evaluation and reporting on the effectiveness of your social distancing program. Video analytics also provide heat mapping based on employee and customer/member activity inside the branch. Heat mapping allows cleaning services to focus more attention on high-use areas.

Many financial institutions have decreased branch traffic by increasing the usage of remote video lending, drive-up, ATM and ITM equipment. Even customers or members who have avoided digital or remote services in the past have become more comfortable with those services during the COVID-19 crisis. Remote managed services with the ability to remotely monitor, diagnose, fix and patch have been crucial for safety and keeping financial institutions operational.