The High Street branch of Nationwide re-opened on Monday, July 20, after a closure exceeding a fortnight, and a rumour had been circulating in the town that a member of Nationwide staff had tested positive for Covid-19.
An automated message on the Nationwide telephone helpline advised that it was not possible to provide any information about branch services. A call last week to the Nationwide office in Hastings however confirmed that that branch was open normally. Your reporter’s inquiry about the reason for the Rye closure was referred to the Nationwide national press office, but this was apparently unattended because the transferred call went to voicemail.
The Nationwide’s ATM appears to have been functioning normally throughout the closure period until the printer ran out of paper.
Customers received a cheerful welcome upon the branch’s re-opening. Scott Sales, a member of staff, told me that it was he who had tested positive, occasioning the closure: “I self-isolated for two weeks,” he said, “though I wasn’t convinced that I had the virus.”
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird .