Last checked at 
* Thousands of staff seen at risk of undetected infection -
union
* Some banks ask staff to store phones away to prevent data
leaks
* Govt advises NHS app should be paused if phone not on
person
(Adds Department of Health comment)
By Iain Withers and Sinead Cruise
LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Branch staff at some of Britain's
biggest banks say rules that require them to store phones in
lockers while at work are putting them at undue risk of COVID-19
from colleagues and customers, as they cannot use the country's
tracing app.
Lloyds Banking Group, along with rival TSB, are
among those advising employees to deactivate the NHS Track &
Trace app during office hours, when they are not allowed to keep
phones on their person.
Some banks ask staff and cashiers to store phones away to
prevent leaks of sensitive customer data, although this is not
formally required by regulator the Financial Conduct Authority.
Under current government guidelines, users of the NHS app
are advised to disable bluetooth or pause the app when away from
their phones to avoid false notifications.
Other companies have told staff to pause the app at work,
including pharmaceuticals firm GSK, which said its other
safety measures were sufficient, the Guardian newspaper
reported.
The BTU union, which represents staff working for Lloyds but
is not recognised by the bank, said it had been contacted by
dozens of staff unable to use the app, which has been downloaded
by more than 14 million people.
One unnamed Lloyds employee who contacted the BTU said: "I
live and work in a high-risk area so I am very concerned at
being told that while I'm at work I have to suspend the NHS test
and trace app... This defeats the object of track and trace."
Another said they were at risk as they had to conduct
face-to-face meetings and due to the "blatant transgression of
the social distancing rules by many customers".
"Customers and staff have a right to know if they have come
into contact with someone who's been infected," said Mark Brown,
general secretary of the BTU.
Although several European countries have launched
Bluetooth-based apps to alert those at risk of catching
COVID-19, there is little evidence to date that the technology
has significantly curbed infections.
Both Lloyds and TSB have advised staff to pause the app's
tracing function while at work, according to internal guidance
issued by each lender seen by Reuters.
"Colleagues who have downloaded the app to their own smart
phone should not use the app while you are at work," Lloyds told
staff, adding it was to stop people receiving false alerts.
A NatWest spokesman said the bank encouraged staff to use
the app but said they should pause it when they are not with
their phone. The bank discourages - though doesn't ban - the use
of personal phones in branches and contact centres.
A spokesman for Barclays said the bank had not advised staff
to turn off the app.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: "We
want as many people to download and use the app as possible. It
is important to use the NHS Covid-19 app at all times, including
while at work, unless in specific scenarios which are clearly
set out in our guidance."
TSB was not immediately available for comment. Lloyds
declined to comment.
A second employee union, Accord, said rules prohibiting use
of personal phones in the workplace were in place to protect
employees from security risks.
"If customers care about the health and well-being of the
bank staff they rely on, they could help by wearing face
coverings when visiting bank branches," Accord's General
Secretary Ged Nichols said.
(Reporting by Iain Withers and Sinead Cruise; Additional
reporting by Douglas Busvine in Berlin; Editing by Rachel
Armstrong, Jan Harvey and Toby Chopra)
