The Macau Association of Bank (ABM) announced last night that all banks in the city will be closed tomorrow and on Friday in support of the government's measures in response to the Wuhan novel coronavirus situation.
According to an ABM statement, the two-day closure aims to reduce the gathering of clusters of people and, thereby, the potential spreading of the virus. Concerning loan and credit card payments, the maturity date of time deposits will be postponed to the next working day, i.e. next Monday, the statement pointed out.
The statement stressed that the banking sector will strive to keep Macau's international and cross-border settlement services operational during the period. The statement underlined that the city's banks will assist their clients in handling urgently needed settlement services such as for the purchase of medical or other vitally important supplies. The statement urged clients to contact their account manager in this kind of situation.
Macau's banks have been closed over the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday. They were originally slated to reopen for business tomorrow.
The government yesterday extended the CNY holiday for Macau's public holidays until next week. Originally, public servants were scheduled to return to work tomorrow. The government yesterday urged the private sector to follow suit.
