(Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve has imposed a minimum seven to 10 day quarantine on physical U.S. currency it receives from Asia before processing as a precautionary measure, even though the coronavirus mainly spreads by human-to-human contact, according to a spokeswoman.
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The Fed maintains a contingency stock of currency to meet demand, and routinely processes notes and coins as part of its services to banks. There is currently $1.75 trillion of Federal Reserve notes in circulation.
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The Fed spokeswoman said the central bank is prepared to modify its approach further as the Centers for Disease Control or the State Department identify additional countries of risk.
Reuters earlier reported on the move.
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