China disinfects BANK NOTES and quarantines them for 14 days as Beijing announces 143 new coronavirus deaths and 2,641 additional cases while death toll hits 1,527
Chinese banks use ultraviolet light then seal and store the cash for up to 14 days
The banks have been urged to provide new banknotes to customers if possible
Central bank made an emergency issuance of four billion yuan in new notes
By ISABELLA NIKOLIC
DAILYMAIL.COM
15 February 2020
China has today started disinfecting and isolating used banknotes in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) that has killed 1,527 people.
Banks use ultraviolet light or high temperatures to disinfect yuan bills, then they seal and store the cash for seven to 14 days – depending on the severity of the outbreak in a particular region – before recirculating them.
The virus, which has infected 66,492 people in China and spread to more than two dozen other countries, has sparked a rush to disinfect public places and minimise contact between people.
Pharmacies across the country sold out of disinfectants and surgical masks in just days after a lockdown was announced in late January on Wuhan city, where the Covid-19 illness is believed to have emerged.
Office buildings have installed packets of tissue in elevators that tenants are encouraged to use when pressing buttons, while ride-hailing company Didi exhorts drivers to disinfect their cars daily.
Fan Yifei, deputy governor of China’s central bank, today said that banks have been urged to provide new banknotes to customers whenever possible.
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