- If the “non-essential” public places have been closed since Sunday March 15, the food businesses remain open.
- However, cash can be a source of coronavirus transmission, according to studies.
- The best way to protect yourself is through barrier gestures and contactless payment.
Despite the announced closure of “non-essential” public places because of the coronavirus, certain businesses remain open. Among them, food stores, pharmacies, tobacconists, service stations, etc.
If most traders use gloves, the risk of contamination from contact with other customers is very real, and many wonder what about banknotes and coins. In China, the authorities have decided to disinfect banknotes with ultraviolet rays, and the United States is imposing a quarantine on the cuts that come from Asia. For the moment, no specific measures have been taken in France.
Low risk
“The risk of being infected with Covid-19 by touching coins, banknotes or credit cards is very low. Contacted by 20 Minutes , the Ministry of Health hammered the communication of the World Health Organization (WHO). A spokesperson for the ministry reminded all the same, “We do not have precise data, but in general, we do not keep the currency very long in hand. "
The Banque de France also communicated on this subject, as reported by Le Monde : "As with seasonal flu and like on any other surface, the respiratory droplets of an infected person deposited on a banknote could survive for a limited period, but not significant for being a major vector of transmission. "
Difficult to navigate since there is a lack of data. For the moment, researchers are basing themselves on the SARS epidemic in 2003 to estimate the contagion force of Covid-19. A study by the University of the Ruhr published on February 6 estimated that coronavirus cells could persist on average 4 to 5 days on certain surfaces such as paper or glass. Depending on humidity and temperature, this could extend up to 9 days. But other more recent, American work, evokes a survival time of 24 hours on cardboard (which is close to paper). In addition, they assess the duration of persistence on the metal at 3 days. These same studies lead to the conclusion that the transmission of the virus can, with regard to persistence times, be established in contact with objects.
Good reflexes, don't worry
Faced with these risks of contamination, should we be worried? Alexandre Bleibtreu, doctor-infectiologist at the service of infectious and tropical diseases of Pitié-Salpêtrière (Paris), questioned by our colleagues from Parisien , wants to be reassuring: “The risk is negligible. It can be transmitted if you do not respect basic hygiene measures, but a priori, there is no more risk than with a bank card or a mobile phone. In other words, to protect yourself from contamination, you must apply barrier gestures. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health abounds: “There is very little risk if you wash your hands as soon as possible and as many times as necessary. "
Same story from the WHO side, quoted by the British daily Telegraph : "Money changes hands frequently and it can pick up all kinds of bacteria and viruses. We advise people to wash their hands after handling banknotes and to avoid touching their faces. Where possible, it would also be advisable to use contactless payments to reduce the risk of transmission. "
The vast majority of traders are also equipped for this. According to a study * OpinionWay for the Sumup company, 8 out of 10 merchants already accept contactless. This figure even rises to 97%, taking into account only local shops, excluding health personnel.
* carried out with a sample of 1023 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over, carried out from January 29 to 30, 2020.
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- Euro
- Money
- Coronavirus
- Covid 19
- ATM machine