Dr. Sanjay Maggirwar: Cash Virus

Posted by admin on Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Dr. Sanjay Maggirwar, George Washington University School of Medicine, on concern from the public that cash can transmit the coronavirus.
 

 

“The belief is that these viruses can stay on surfaces in their fully active states for at least 10 days. That includes cash and all kinds of other surfaces that people normally touch, So certainly with the coronavirus, cash handling is a concern” — Dr. Sanjay Maggirwar

 

 

In this quote, Dr. Sanjay Maggirwar seems to be conveying that cash can pose a risk of transmitting viruses like the novel coronavirus. By stating the belief that viruses can remain active on surfaces like cash “for at least 10 days”, and that cash handling is therefore “a concern” with the coronavirus, Maggirwar implies that exchanging physical currency could enable spreading the virus between individuals if bills are contaminated and then touched by others.

The quote conveys Maggirwar’s perspective that cash poses a transmission risk since viruses may persist on the tangible paper material for extended periods during which time cash is frequently exchanged from person to person.

Overall, Maggirwar appears to be arguing that cash should be recognized as a potential vector and that precautions, such as hand washing after handling bills, are prudent public health measures given the evidence that viruses can survive on such surfaces for days.

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