Chinese banks disinfecting old notes over virus

Chinese banks have been ordered to disinfect old banknotes before re-issuing them to the public in an effort to curb the spread of the new virus, China's official Central Television reported.

CCTV showed staff of a state-owned bank in Shanghai using ultraviolet disinfection machines and putting old notes into a vault.

Banks across the country had been told to withdraw potentially infected cash from circulation and disinfect it using either ultraviolet or heat treatments, a central bank official told reporters last week.

The bank told CCTV that money removed from high-risk sites such as hospitals and markets would be sealed and not be put back into circulation.

Other banknotes will be disinfected and sealed for at least 7 days before being put back into circulation, the bank said.

China's central bank said it had distributed 600 billion yuan (approx. 85.6 billion US dollars) of new banknotes throughout the country since 17 January.