1mg Quick Pick:

Can cash handling put you at risk of

coronavirus (COVID-19)?
Claim

The WHO has advised people to use

contactless payments instead of cash to
reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Reference:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8088067/Coronavirus-spread-cash-warns-WHO.html

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Fact Check

The WHO clarified later that the statement was

misinterpreted. This was not actually a
coronavirus -specific guidance, and the
organization has not issued any official
warnings about cash handling.

Reference:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/who-we-did-not-say-that-cash-was-transmitting-coronavirus-2020-03-06
No direct/ indirect mention of any cash-related question on either CDC or WHO:
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
https://www.who.int/csr/disease/coronavirus_infections/faq_dec12/en/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#basics

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Connecting the dots
As per the WHO*, novel coronavirus may persist on surfaces for
a few hours or up to several days. Furthermore, WHO has advised
that if you think a surface may be infected, clean it with a simple
disinfectant.

According to a new study from National Institutes of Health, one

may get the virus after touching infected objects/surfaces. **

Both theoretically and practically, nonporous as well as porous

surfaces can transfer infections. However, porous surfaces
(paper, fabrics etc.) are less likely to carry infections as
compared to nonporous surfaces (glass, metal, etc.) due to
having minute spaces that absorb the infected droplets thus
limiting the spread of the virus.

References:
*https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
**Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NE-
JMc2004973

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How can cash act as
a vehicle of virus?

An infected Handles cash A healthy person Touches his

person without receives this cash eyes/nose/mouth
coughs into his following hand without following
hands hygiene. hand hygiene and
The virus gets gets infected.
transferred and
stays on the
paper money

References:
*https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
**Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NE-
JMc2004973

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Takeaways

Though there are no clear cut guidelines on this,

cash handling may act as a significant source of
spread of infection.

Any cash exchange will also increase contact

among people and involve visiting and using an
ATM, thus breaching social distancing, which may
again increase the risk of infection.*

Coins can transmit viruses more than paper

money as it is a nonporous surface (metal).

References:
RBI Press release as on March 16, 2020.
https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/PressRelease/PDFs/PR206985CFFC80D8FB4308979D9326BB3692AE.PDF

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What’s the way out?

Avoid the use Wash your

of cash (even cards) hands often

Switch to online payment Keep a sanitiser handy while

modes through phone handling cash