Bank of Valletta will be permanently closing one of its branches and temporarily halting operations from another five. 

In a statement on Friday, BOV said its Balluta, Birżebbuġa, Floriana, Marsa and St Paul’s Bay branches, will all be temporarily closed as of Monday, January 10. 

That bank's Fleur-de-Lys branch will be closing permanently. 

ATMs and night safe deposit facilities at these branches will continue to operate normally, the bank said. 

BOV said the move was linked to the ongoing COVID-19 situation on the island. It has been wracked by staff shortages caused by the pandemic, having restricted services at several branches late in December. 

“The decisions we are taking are backed by our responsibility to protect our customers and employees while ensuring that we utilise our human resources at branches in the most efficient manner possible,” Kenneth Farrugia, Chief Retail Banking Officer at the bank said. 

Customers who require access to safe deposit lockers within the temporarily closed branches, are to call the bank’s customer service centre on +356 2131 2020 to set an appointment.

Meanwhile, on Gozo, the bank’s Nadur and Xagħra branches will be reopening for service on January 8 and 10 respectively. Those banks were closed on December 27.

For non-cash services such as investments, home loans, personal loans, rescheduling of loan repayments and applications for new services, customers are to be asked to set an appointment online here or by sending an email on info@bov.com or by calling on +356 2131 2020.

BOV apologised to its customers for any inconvenience caused and thanked them for their cooperation.