Prognosis
Covid-19 Transmission Risk From Using Cash is Low, Study Finds
The chances of direct contamination using banknotes is relatively low as cash is typically stored securely in tills or wallets, the study found.
Photographer: Hollie Adams/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The risk of catching Covid-19 through using banknotes is low, according to research by the Bank of England that suggests the aversion to using cash during the pandemic is unnecessary.
The central bank considered a plausible worst-case scenario of an infected person coughing or sneezing onto a note and found that the level of virus on the surface began to drop rapidly after an hour. After six hours, it had declined to 5% or less.