GTT has announced that it would be closing all of its stores from today, Wednesday, April 1, as part of its continuing efforts to ensure the health and safety of customers and staff amid the growing threat from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Justin Nedd said measures were being put in place to ensure that staff would be retained during the closure, and every effort would be made to accommodate customers through alternative bill payment and customer service options, including the use of the company’s Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) app.
He said the decision to temporarily close all GTT stores had been taken in support of the social distancing protocol recommended by global health authorities as the best way to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect people.
“GTT’s responsibility and our commitment to customers and staff mandates us to take this threat very seriously, and to take every action to protect our customers and staff, and Guyana as a whole. Our closure supports the global call for social distancing, and we are encouraging customers to make use of the digital and online options for transactions. There are 220 MMG agents located nationwide; access the one nearest to you as need be to limit movement,” Nedd stated in a release to the media on Tuesday.
“Given the increased human traffic which our stores experience during bill payment and other peak times – and as much as we have been sanitising and staggering the number of persons entering the stores, we feel that it is our responsibility to take firmer action to our collective benefit at this time as the pandemic evolves locally,” Nedd added.
Further, he noted that safeguarding the jobs of GTT staff while ensuring a continued high level of service to customers were key aspects of the company’s strategic Covid-19 response.
“GTT’s approach to COVID-19 is that we are in this together. We will, therefore, support our staff through repurposing or redeployment as needed, and we want to ensure that our customers are protected, and not overly inconvenienced by these measures,” he said.
Customers are encouraged to visit https://mmg.gtt.co.gy/agents for a comprehensive list of agents and https://www.gtt.co.gy/notices for more information and updates. A printed, detailed listing will be made available through the media.
The CEO added that this month GTT’s billing would be paperless. The company’s dedicated printer has closed until mid-April as a result of its own COVID-19 measures.
Customers are asked to register via https://www.gtt.co.gy/webform/bill-delivery-change-request to receive bills by email.