Chinese woman microwaves money to disinfect them amid coronavirus outbreak

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A Chinese woman ended up burning 3,125 yuan ($450, around P22,700) when she microwaved the bills to disinfect them as a precaution against COVID-19.

The woman, from the Chinese province of Jiangsu, heated the money so she would be sure they were not harboring the novel coronavirus, AsiaOne reported last Wednesday, March 4.

Immediately after turning the microwave on, a burnt smell started coming from the appliance. When the woman stopped the heating and opened the microwave, the bills were already scorched.

Following the incident, she brought the notes to a local bank for help, the report stated. However, the blackened notes were too damaged for a machine counter to recognize them.

This led the staff to manually count and check the woman’s bills for any fake notes. Due to the brittle state of the bills, the money had to be handled cautiously to keep them from breaking apart.

Despite the unusual situation, the bank gave the woman a full refund.

Chinese banks have been disinfecting cash with ultraviolet lights or high temperatures since last month. According to the report, the banks also isolate the money for up to 14 days before redistributing them to the public.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has stated that over 90,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus while over 3,100 have died from the disease it causes, COVID-19. Ryan Arcadio/JB

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