Accelerate the Promotion of Mobile Payments during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Abstract

COVID-19 is caused by a novel SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). During the COVID-19 epidemic, when people are infected with the virus, they can transmit the virus onto paper or coin money through touch and droplets, potentially making any physical currency a carrier of the virus. Although there is no report confirming that people can become infected with viruses by cash circulation, relevant research on the survival of viruses on solid surfaces supports this hypothesis. Mobile payments can help individuals avoid coming in direct contact with any paper or coin money. Therefore, we strongly recommend the promotion of mobile payments during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Main Text

COVID-19 is caused by a novel SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2).¹ So far, COVID-19 has caused a worldwide epidemic. According to the WHO report, as of August 13, 2020, about 20.44 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with the virus, and more than 744,300 people worldwide have died.²

The transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 include droplet transmission, contact with contaminated surfaces, inhalation of virus droplets, aerosol transmission, and close contact with infected people.³ When the infected person coughs or sneezes, the droplets fall on the surface of an object to form a surface contamination.⁴ In addition, a recent study has shown that SARS-CoV-2 can survive for 72 h on plastic and stainless steel surfaces; 4 h on copper surfaces; and 24 h on paper surfaces.⁵ During the COVID-19 epidemic, when people are infected with the virus, they can transmit the virus onto paper or coin money through touch and droplets, potentially making any physical currency a carrier of the virus. During cash circulation, the virus may be spread among individuals, which increases the chance of people becoming infected by the virus. Although there is no report confirming that people can become infected with viruses by cash circulation, relevant research on the survival of viruses on solid surfaces supports this hypothesis.⁵ In a previous study, when human influenza viruses are deposited on banknotes, they can survive for several days and remain infectious, and high concentrations of virus and respiratory mucus can extend the duration of viral infections.⁶ Under natural conditions, after the nasopharyngeal secretions of 14 influenza patients (influenza A [H3N2] virus culture-positive) were inoculated onto the surface of banknotes, seven cases of influenza virus survived for at least 24 h and five cases survived for at least 48 h. In a particular case, the influenza virus maintained its ability to infect cells for 12 days. In addition, human rhinoviruses HRV2 and HRV37 were tested on banknotes without respiratory mucus; HRV2 survived for 48 h and HRV37 survived for more than 120 h.⁶ These results provided potential evidence that cash can be used as a viral vector.

At the same time, with the availability of the internet and the development of technology, along with the popularity of smartphones, mobile payments can help individuals avoid coming in direct contact with any paper or coin money. This direction is promising for reducing viral transmission, as well as reducing the risk of promoting the spread of COVID-19.

Although some countries have made great progress in mobile payment systems, many people still use cash in public places, such as in supermarkets and cafeterias. In 2019, American consumers used cash payments 15 times a month on average, and the proportion of in-person retail payments made in cash in a typical month was 30%.⁷ According to the statistics of the Japanese Bankers Association in 2019, 73% of Japanese use cash for daily person-to-person transactions.⁸ In addition, a survey conducted by the Bank of Canada in 2020 indicates that 74% of Canadians expect to continue using cash payments in the next few years.⁹ However, mobile payments can be used in an increasing number of transaction scenarios in China. In 2019, the utilization rate of mobile payments in China reached 86%, making China the country with the highest mobile payment penetration rate in the world.¹⁰

Today, many countries around the world are fighting COVID-19. The social distancing and non-contact prevention methods have exhibited a certain effect in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, we strongly recommend the promotion of mobile payments during the COVID-19 epidemic.