Stop touching cash! WHO officials warn that coronavirus can spread through handling money and urge people to use credit cards or electronic payments instead
- The World Health Organization is urging people to stop using bank notes and coins because they can carry the virus
- Instead, consumers should use contactless, digital or card payments where they can
- The virus is droplet based and can stick to hard surfaces for several days
- There are now 15 people dead in the US from coronavirus, and 100,000 cases of the virus worldwide
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
The World Health Organization has issued a warning that handling money may spread coronavirus and is urging people to stop using cash when they can.
In a warning this week, WHO reminded people that money picks up the disease which can stay on surfaces for hours if not days.
'We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses and things like that.
'We would advise people to wash their hands after handling banknotes, and avoid touching their face.
The World Health Organization is urging people to avoid using cash where they can and instead make contactless payments to avoid the spread of coronavirus
There are now 278 cases of coronavirus in the US including 15 deaths
'When possible it’s a good idea to use contactless payments,' a spokesman told The Telegraph earlier this week.
US doctors are emphasizing the advice now. This is a droplet-born disease.
'It’s by contact with objects that someone else has touched, and that is primarily the biggest way of transmission,' Baptist Health Dr. John Braden said.
Experts say the coronavirus could latch onto currency in the same way that it is able to live on hard surfaces like door handles, handrails and toilet handles.
People are being urged to hand sanitize as much as possible, not to shake hands and to avoid touching their faces.
There are ongoing concerns about how the government is handling the crisis.
As the death toll in the US reached 15 on Friday, many travelers took to Twitter to share stories about returning to America from the high risk countries with minimal to no screening.
Many said the only question they were asked was if they had traveled recently to China.
In addition to fears over how flights are being screened, there is growing criticism of the federal government's response to testing.
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