Three banks close lobbies because of COVID

Two Ruston banks are limiting lobby access to their customers, and a third will do so on Monday in an effort to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

Century Next Bank and Louisiana National Bank closed their lobbies on Wednesday; local Origin Bank locations will close their lobbies beginning Monday.

Spokespersons for all three institutions said their decisions came in light of the continuing increase in new cases of COVID-19 in their service areas. The limited access is designed to keep both employees and customers safe, spokespersons for each institution said.

“It was not a hard decision to make,” Bill Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Century Next Bank, said. “We’re concerned about the pandemic and the Delta variant. It’s getting ugly. We felt like it would be better to close our lobby until things improve.”

Healthcare professionals said the Delta variant is responsible for the surge in new COVID cases nationwide. The variant spreads more easily than did the original COVID strain and can be transmitted equally by vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Hogan said Century Next employees are wearing masks inside the bank and any time they are away from their work area.

Starting Monday, all of Origin Bank’s Louisiana locations will limit lobby access.

“Our number one priority through the pandemic has been the health and safety of our employees and customers, and that commitment continues,” said Ryan Kilpatrick, executive vice president and chief brand and communications officer with Origin Bank. “As COVID cases have increased in our communities, we believe the best way to help keep each other safe is to limit lobby access to an appointment-only basis.”

Ashley Avery, human resources administrator with Louisiana National Bank, called LNB’s new limited access policy “an effort to stay fully staffed.”

She said employees are wearing masks inside the bank and are remaining at their individual workstations as much as possible.

All three of the banks say their customers will continue to have access to full-service banking through drive-thrus, online banking, ATMs and by phone. The three banks are also allowing customers to make appointments to come inside their respective institutions.

Bank representatives said they don’t know how long the change in lobby policy will remain in effect for their bank

“These times are so uncertain, we don’t know how long it will go on,” LNB’s Avery said.

So far, lobbies at other Ruston banks — BancorpSouth, Chase, IBERIABANK and Regions — are fully open, spokespeople for each facility said.

Meantime, Lincoln Parish posted 10 more confirmed COVID cases overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, and one more confirmed death. Total parish case count since March 2020 now stands at 3,892.

The COVID death toll is now at 89. The additional death marks the second time this week that the fatality number has increased.