Vietnam has ordered banks to clean their money to stop the spread of the coronavirus, DTI News reported Saturday.
The State Bank of Vietnam has asked Vietnamese banks, credit institutions and foreign banking services across the country to disinfect all their cash in a bit to curb the coronavirus from spreading.
After being sterilized the cash must be sorted and stored for a set length of time before the institutions can allow the money back on to the market, the report said.
Cash transaction areas, ATMs and bank branches must also be disinfected and sterilized, according to the central bank request.
Banks and financial institutions
must also provide safety measures such as provisions of hand sanitizer, gloves and
face masks for those who directly handle and pass on cash to any customers.
The state bank has also
asked financial service providers to step up measures to encourage online
banking as face-to-face transactions are seen as a significantly higher risk.
The World Health Organization
has advised people to wash their hands before and after using cash and to stop
using paper money if possible as it is thought the use of hard paper currency
may increase the spread of Covid-19.
