There is a lot of scaremongering now over the coronavirus with snake oil 'solutions' being proposed. One of the claims made is that cash is not safe, and those contactless payment methods should be used if possible.
Now there is a strong business case for retailers to switch to electronic payment methods, e.g. security, time-saving, cost savings etc. but there is little reason to add the coronavirus to this list. What we believe about coronavirus is that it primarily spreads by breathing. It can spread by contact but as a recent report by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Switzerland found no scientific evidence banknotes and coins could carry the virus more effectively than other objects.
What they found is that...
"Scientific evidence suggests that the probability of transmission via banknotes is low compared to other frequently-touched objects, such as credit card terminals or PIN pads."
"On the contrary, frequent handling of a contactless card or an EFTPOS machine terminal may actually carry greater risk." The big problem here is that EFTPOS terminals can be handled by a large number of shoppers daily.
This report is supported by the Australian government's official report, too.
If you want to read more, click [[here]] and here.
A false claim made now is that the World Health Organization said that handling cash could spread the virus, in fact, it has rejected such reports that they did say this.
Clearly, the EFTPOS terminals need to be cleaned. Here is how to clean an EFTPOS unit. I suggest you do this frequently. One point you may want to consider is: If the claim is true and EFTPOS is so much safer, why are not the banks actively promoting that now?
Just so you know, if you do decide to go cashless anyway, you must display a sign seen by the public before they begin their purchase that your shop is cashless; otherwise, there could be trouble.
