Long queues are the new normal outside banks across the city.

Enforcement of social distancing norms inside the branches requires entry of a small number of visitors at one go, said bank officials. The result — the rest of the visitors, many senior citizens among them, have to brave rain and the sun for a long time waiting in queues outside.

Around 11.30am on Wednesday, the New Alipore branch of a public sector bank had over 20 people waiting on the pavement outside.

The sun was almost directly overhead and the humidity level was high, too. “I have been standing for close to 30 minutes. All I need to do is update my passbook,” said Lakshmi Kanta Patra, 80.

Five counters, including two cash counters, were operational inside the branch. “We have to follow social distancing norms. We are allowing five persons inside the branch at a time,” the manager said.

At the Rashbehari Avenue branch of a PSU bank at Triangular Park, there were around 10 persons standing in the queue outside.

“I waited for 40 minutes. But that is acceptable. What is not acceptable is my work being not done even after the wait,” said Beauty Sen, a resident of the area. She had gone to update a phone number linked to an account.

At places like Rashbehari Avenue and Gariahat, several stalls on the pavement have re-opened following partial lifting of the lockdown curbs. The pedestrian movement has also gone up.

Some people waiting in the queue looked unnerved every moment a pedestrian brushed past them, or came too close.

“What is the point in maintaining social distance inside the branch if we are vulnerable in the queue outside,” said a 65-year-old man waiting outside a bank in Gariahat.

The scene was similar outside another PSU bank on Anwar Shah Road on Tuesday afternoon. At least 15 people, some of them senior citizens, were standing amid a persistent drizzle.

Some took shelter under the shade of a stall, keeping an eye on the queue to ensure they did not miss their turns.

When the lockdown started, the customers waiting outside had to fend off only the heat. The monsoon arrived five days ago and over the next two months, rain and heat both are in store for such people.

“It was a mad rush on the the first few days of April and May. We were allowing only a limited number of people. We had to take the help of police to ensure people standing outside maintained social distance,” said the manager of a PSU bank in Tollygunge.

Across the city, circles were drawn at regular intervals outside the banks. Each visitor was supposed to stand inside a designated circle.

“We started issuing tokens to pensioners to avoid the queue. The pensioners who were issued the first set of tokens were asked to come at the first hour. The next lot was asked to come an hour later and so on,” said the manager of a bank in Behala Sarsuna.