BANKNOTE HANDLERS CORONAVIRUS CAUTIONS

The infectious COVID-19 virus could be carried on the surface of banknotes for many weeks, the WHO warned on Monday.

Payments should be used by individuals where possible and clean their hands after handling cash to halt the spread of this disease, a WHO spokesman said.

The Bank of England also recognized that banknotes "can carry viruses or germs" and encouraged regular hand washing.

A Bank of England spokesman told the Telegraph:"Like any other surface that large quantities of individuals come in contact with, notes can carry bacteria or viruses.

To read the complete article, see:
Banknotes Could be spreading coronavirus (https://coronavirus-map.com/usa-coronavirus/banknotes-could-be-spreading-coronavirus/)

As public health officials around the world battle to contain the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization has warned that banknotes may transmit the disease. "We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses," a WHO spokesman told the Telegraph. "We would advise people to wash their hands after handling banknotes, and avoid touching their face." The spokesman also advises using contactless payment options wherever possible, to minimise the risk.

Although coronavirus can be transmitted via inanimate objects, the odds of contracting it in this way are low. "The amount of virus that is potentially on an inanimate object is usually very small," says Dr Christine Tait-Burkard, an expert in infection and immunity at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh. She explains that there typically wouldn’t be much coronavirus on a person’s fingertips, and it would still have to get past your respiratory system to infect you. "Your respiratory system is very good at filtering out viruses," Tait-Burkard says.

Banknotes can carry the coronavirus. But try not to be too alarmed: the risk is small. "Unless someone is using a bank note to sneeze in," Tait-Burkard says. Don’t worry too much about loose change. "Coins are actually very bad environments for viruses to survive," she says.

To read the complete article, see:
From banknotes to handrails: 10 objects that help spread coronavirus (https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2020/mar/03/from-banknotes-to-handrails-10-objects-that-help-spread-coronavirus)

The greenback faces the same fate as many travelers returning home from China and other coronavirus hot spots.

The US Federal Reserve has begun quarantining physical dollars that it repatriates from Asia before recirculating them in the US financial system as a precautionary measure against spreading the virus, a Fed spokesperson told Reuters.

She said regional Fed banks that help manage the money supply will set aside shipments of dollars from Asia for seven to 10 days before processing and redistributing them to financial institutions. The policy, first reported by Reuters, was implemented on Feb. 21, the official said.

As the global reserve currency, US dollars are the most widely distributed notes in the world with around $1.75 trillion worth of cash in circulation globally, according to the Fed. Much of that is circulated overseas, particularly in Asia, where the dollar is often stronger than local currencies.

The US central bank has not gone as far as its counterparts in China and Korea, which have ordered local currency notes to be disinfected with ultraviolet light or destroyed altogether. But Fed officials are in regular contact with the CDC and State Department regarding the spread of the virus and are prepared to add other regions to its quarantine list, the spokesperson said.

To read the complete article, see:
Fed is quarantining physical dollars from China (https://nypost.com/2020/03/06/fed-is-quarantining-physical-dollars-from-china/)

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