With the first coronavirus vaccines being rolled out this week, the American Bankers Association wrote to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday reiterating ABA’s position regarding which bank employees it believes should be considered to receive the vaccines alongside other essential workers.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—which makes recommendations to states on which individuals should receive priority doses of the COVID-19 vaccines as they become available—has already recommended that “essential” personnel from a range of industries, including banking, be included in Phase 1B of the vaccine distribution effort, after health care workers and long-term care residents.
ABA emphasized that “the definition of ‘essential’ bank employees for consideration in Phase 1B should be limited to front-line bank employees who come into contact with customers, such as tellers and loan officers. We believe these front-line workers face the highest risk of infection, pose the greatest risk of spreading the virus if infected, and are absolutely essential, especially in communities where residents may not have access to electronic banking tools.”
