COVID-19: China quarantines currency notes to stop coronavirus spread

Banks have been urged to provide new banknotes to customers whenever possible.

China is disinfecting and isolating used banknotes as part of efforts to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, officials said Saturday.
Banks use ultraviolet light or high temperatures to disinfect yuan bills, then seal and store the cash for seven to 14 days - depending on the severity of the outbreak in a particular region - before recirculating them, China's central bank said at a press conference. (Coronavirus: Everything you need to know about the Covid-19 Wuhan virus outbreak)
Fan Yifei, deputy governor of China's central bank, said on Saturday that banks have been urged to provide new banknotes to customers whenever possible.
The central bank made an "emergency issuance" of four billion yuan in new notes to Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, prior to the recent Lunar New Year holiday, Fan added. The measures are intended to "secure the public's safety and health when using cash", Fan said.
But it is unclear how wide an impact the central bank's disinfection work will have, with increasing numbers of Chinese people preferring mobile payments over cash in recent years. -