The Federation of Egyptian Banks said that starting next Sunday bank customers will have to wear face masks in banks as part of the precautionary measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

In a statement on Monday the federation urged citizens to abide by preventive measures for banks to provide their services regularly.

The decision aims to maintain the safety of workers in the banking sector, as well as that of customers, the federation said.

Several Egyptian banks have temporarily closed off some of their branches after detecting positive or suspected coronavirus cases among the employees.

On Monday BLOM Bank Egypt said it is temporarily suspending operations at its New Cairo branch over a suspected coronavirus case among its staff.

Egypt’s state-owned Banque du Caire announced the closure of a downtown Cairo branch late on Saturday after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

The National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and Banque Misr have temporarily shut down branches in April after detecting coronavirus cases.

Egypt has so far recorded a total of 9,746 coronavirus cases, with the death toll standing at 533.