For years, experts are advising people to always be cautious when handling money. It is not because of how crucial it is to earn enough money or manage finances but basically because of how dirty these banknotes can be.
Past researches have proved that money indeed contains pathogens, which could infect your body and make you dangerously sick. Some of these pathogens are salmonella, Escherichia coli (E.coli), and staphylococcus aureus. But did you know that aside from this, a group of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently found out how cash could also be used as a vessel of the novel coronavirus to infect more people?
"We know that money changes hand frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses and things like that", explains by a representative of the organization. Due to the risk of getting your hands contaminated by the coronavirus after handling money, experts advise people to always sanitize their hands especially before eating and touching your face.
The best way to sanitize your hands to effectively remove pathogens like the coronavirus is through proper handwashing. You can do that by following this procedure, as advised by UNICEF.
First, you have to wet your hands with clean flowing water. Second is to apply enough soap in your hands so you can completely lather every surface of it. Third, lather the soap at the back of your hands, under your nails, between your fingers, the surface of your palms, and lastly your wrist. Make sure you would do it for at least 20 seconds. Fourth is to rinse the soap with clean and running water. After washing your hands, don't forget to dry it as well as wet hands can be more prone to pathogens too.
When it comes to using sanitizers and alcohol as an alternative to water and soap, there is but one thing you have to remember-not all sanitizers can work against the coronavirus. You need a sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol so you could be sure it is effective.
Aside from sanitizing your hands, it could also help if you would considering sanitizing your money too. The Bank of Thailand suggests cleaning your money by soaking it in a water-detergent solution for a short period.
Meanwhile, experts are still uncertain whether how long the coronavirus can live in surfaces like paper, fabric, metal, or plastic. But one thing is certain, it can stay there for hours or even for days depending on the humidity and temperature of your place.
