The Corona virus / COVID-19 is spreading across the planet at a rapid pace and will probably have reached the last corner of our planet in the next few days to weeks.

Pay cashless: According to a report in the Telegraph, banknotes could also be contaminated with the corona virus and be a reason why the virus is circulating more quickly. Health scientists at the WHO are now recommending cashless payments to protect themselves, according to the Telegraph report.

The normal banknote was originally made of paper (and still is in some countries), but was then made from increasingly tough materials such as plastic, polymer, hemp or cotton fibers for longer life. Euro banknotes are made of security paper, which consists of a standard Baumwohl substrate and is mixed with all sorts of other threads to ensure protection against counterfeiting.

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In an article, the Telegraph published an excerpt from a conversation with a WHO expert in which he allegedly appealed to the population to avoid cash and to switch to contactless payments when making purchases, as this reduces the risk of infection.

However, due to the worldwide media response, the WHO quickly clarified the statement , namely that the WHO does not want to prohibit the use of cash for hygiene reasons, but that hands should generally be washed after handling banknotes. It was also clarified that the WHO does not take the position that banknotes transmit the corona virus.

The USA and other East Asian countries apparently see banknotes as a potential vector and have even imposed quarantine on foreign banknotes in some cases. The South Korean central bank, for example, stores banknotes supplied by regional banks for two weeks and then puts them back into circulation. The Chinese central bank, in turn, irradiates banknotes with ultraviolet light and high temperatures and only puts the money back into circulation after 14 days.

In contrast, the European Central Bank and the German Bundesbank do not see the situation with banknotes as critical and do not see banknotes as a central vector of the virus. According to a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, experts at the Deutsche Bundesbank give the all-clear because there is no solid evidence to date that banknotes or coins are carriers of the corona virus. Nevertheless, the same standard of hygiene is recommended when handling cash as with other everyday objects; when in doubt, washing your hands is the best preventive measure.

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Conclusion:

In summary, it can be seen that many media outlets can cause panic when reporting on the coronavirus if expert opinions are interpreted or interpreted imprecisely. Although the official line of some countries, including China and the USA, is that banknotes pose a risk of transmission, the WHO, according to the Telegraph report mentioned above, has clearly stated that they generally do not see banknotes as a risk of transmission, which is also agreed upon by the ECB and Germany Bundesbank appointed. According to these institutes, banknotes and coins pose no risk of transmission, but as with the use of all everyday objects in public spaces, hand washing should follow.

References:

Dirty banknotes may be spreading the coronavirus, WHO suggests
WHO offers advice about using cash as coronavirus continues to spread
Now we should pay cashless - according to WHO
WHO recommends contactless payment against coronavirus
Epidemic protection warns about contaminated banknotes

Author: Alexander Herberstein
Article image: Shutterstock / By Kenan Stocks


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