China Cleans Its Money

The Chinese government is finding different ways to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. Officials have announced during a press conference that they will begin the process to disinfect China’s money as a way to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. Their central bank said in a statement that ultraviolet light is used to clean yuan bills before storing the banknotes for seven to 14 days depending on the severity of the outbreak in each region before circulating the cash. Currently, over 66,000 people are infected with the virus and the death toll is over 1,100. Governor Fan Yifei says the protocol is a way to secure the public’s health and safety while using the money. However, it is unclear if “disinfecting” the money will be an effective preventative measure since most people in China use mobile payments instead of cash.