The Commercial International Bank – Egypt (CIB) has reserved a full floor at a major hotel in Cairo as a quarantine bay for its employees if needed.
The floor reservation, which has a capacity of 30 rooms, comes as part of CIB’s concern for the health and safety of its employees. It has been put into effect in light of the exceptional circumstances created by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The bank emphasised that creating a supportive working environment in people is an investment for the future, and that the safety and security of its employees is the highest priority for senior management. It added that some precautionary measures have also been taken to limit the spread of the virus.
Notably, CIB was one of the first banks in Egypt to adhere to the precautionary measures put in place by the state, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
It also put in place a set of protocols for preventing the virus, and to educate its employees on best precautionary measures. This included requiring all customers and employees to wear a face mask at all its branches.
Mohamed Soltan, Chief Operating Officer at CIB, said that investing in the human element is the bank’s topmost priority, as the foundation of success for any institution.
He stressed that CIB has conducted coronavirus tests on 22% of its employees so far, to check on their health.
Soltan also noted that a highly skilled team is managing the current crisis, and using the latest global crisis management protocols.
“Providing rooms for the isolation of our employees infected with the virus comes as part of the precautionary and other measures that the bank is applying to maintain the health and safety of employees, as well as supporting the state’s efforts to reduce overcrowding in government hospitals,” he said.
Soltan stressed the need to join hands in facing this challenge, and more must be done in these difficult times to support and protect our society and our employees.
He stressed that the CIB also plays a continuous social role by providing all forms of support. In the previous period, the bank has allocated and disbursed over EGP 125m to support various Egyptian government and social organisation efforts to mitigate the coronavirus’ effects. This has also seen the bank lend its support to workers affected by the current circumstances.
CIB has also made a donation of $250,000 to the African Union Fund to tackle the virus, in addition to a $100,000 donation to support those affected by the coronavirus in Kenya. The donations come as an extension of the bank’s community role in Africa and as part of its policy to expand in the continent.
