They are saying to leave everything in the car but your debit card and to use a cleansing wipe on it after running it through the scanner. Someone here posted a picture of the gloves littering the Publix grocery parking lot on Facebook.

---EMPHASIS ADDED---

Careful with that! Some cards' embedded chips don't 'like' wetting with alcohol, water, detergent solutions, etc! -- Better to irradiate the card with with UVC -OR- better still, wash/sanitize your hands after touching your card!

On a related note - For anyone wishing to safely sanitize US bank notes: (Note: the following procedure may damage charge cards and certain non-US currency!)

/////////////
EDIT -- Please view @jpanhalt's (well considered and documented) caveats presented on post 1864 Re: disparity in 'wet' vs 'dry' thermal stability of viral pathogens!
Although I am strongly of the opinion that 'dry' inactivation (of the viruses in question) will be complete following exposure to the temperatures/protracted intervals stated here - such is opinion nonetheless!
/////////////

Note that SARS-CoV virions (as well as their hosts) are inactivated by 30 minutes exposure to temps of 56°C (note that said temp/duration incorporates a significant 'safety margin').

'Rival' brand 'slow cookers' operate at ~ 60°C on their 'warm' setting (NOT to be confused with 'low' which being a higher temperature setting exceeding 100°C. -- US banknotes' security features are designed to withstand temperatures to 82°C (~180°F) sans alteration/damage... Please be advised that merchants have the right to refuse notes with altered or otherwise damaged security features!

The procedure:
1) Place a section of thick cardboard upon the bottom of the cooking chamber.

2) Place an accurate thermometer within the cooking-chamber positioned such that it may be read through the appliance's transparent lid: (Important! - Inasmuch as we wish to measure the air temperature within the cooking chamber --as opposed to-- the temp of the outside surface of the lid - use of 'IR thermometers', 'flir cameras', and their ilk is not recommended!)

3) Arrange the currency in several shallow stacks within the cooking chamber atop the cardboard substrate.

4) Set the appliance's range to 'warm' and connect same to its power source (mains).

5) Periodically observe the thermometer (sans removal of the lid).

6) At such time as the thermometer registers 60°C (140°F) (note that attainment of said temperature may require over two hours) allow the the appliance to operate for at least two additional hours to assure thorough thermal penetration of the currency. -- In the event that the notes are stacked to greater that Ca. 5 cm in 'height', allowance of four hours following attainment of the 60°C cooking chamber temperature is recommended...

Please note that said appliances do not incorporate thermostats and, hence, are without the (not-inconsiderable) disadvantages attendant to 'hysteresis' -- but with the disadvantage of being 'at the mercy' of mains 'voltage' - hence the importance of checking the thermometer frequently (i.e. at least once per hour)... to verify the temp is ≥ 60°C (to assure disinfection) but ≤ 75°C (to avoid damage to the currency).


Please be advised that while the above, applied as stated, is effective against SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 - it is by no means a 'broad spectrum' disinfection technique!

A final thought: To avoid dissemination of pathogens (via 'forced airflow') -- For heaven sake! Please don't even think of using 'heat-guns' or 'blow dryers' as thermal sanitizers!

Very best regards
HP

 

Sounds like how I make sous vide in a wet state.

I would be cautious relying on such low heat in a dry state for inactivation of SARS virus and by extension the current variety.

Typically, there is a huge difference between sterilization/inactivation at "Pasteurization" temperatures (56° or 60°C) between the dry state and wet state:
https://vivadifferences.com/moist-heat-vs-dry-heat-sterilization/
For dry sterilization, our virologist had the hottest ovens in the lab. They were well above 100°C. As I recall, they were about 170°C (338°F) or more.

As for the SARS model, this study has been cited before:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15118911

In the dry state, SARS was relatively stable at room temperature. Testing at 56°C and 60°C appears to have only done in the wet state.

In contrast, dried SARS-CoV retained its infectivity for as long as 6 days, with 10% FCS exerting a protective influence throughout. Only after 9 days in a dried state had SARS-CoV completely lost its infectivity.

FCS = fetal calf serum

The wet state was different:

To assess virus stability in solution, cell culture supernatants containing known concentrations of infectious virus were kept under different conditions. To assess the efficacy of thermal inactivation procedures, solutions were incubated at 56°C or 60°C with or without 20% FCS as protein additive for 30 min.

For decontaminating money, if one is concerned, I would rely more on chemical means or wet heat. Unfortunately, so much is just opinion and/or "it can't hurt" responses. That is just my opinion too.

 

I have seen it proposed to give "passes" to those that have fully recovered to allow free passage. IE return to work. Sounds like an enforcement nightmare. Papers please...

Papers here would be a standard debit type chip'd card and a reader.
A worse enforcement nightmare is trying to keeping people who could work locked up for months. These protocols are not novel, it's pretty much the standard for military NBC recovery procedures.

 

Typically, there is a huge difference between sterilization/inactivation at "Pasteurization" temperatures (56° or 60°C) between the dry state and wet state:

I would be cautious relying on such low heat in a dry state for inactivation of SARS virus and by extension the current variety.

Testing at 56°C and 60°C appears to have only done in the wet state.

Hence my suggestion of looong exposure intervals... Still, your point is well taken! 'Pin money' is as nothing by comparison with a healthy pair of lungs! - 'Odds' be damned'!

For decontaminating money, if one is concerned, I would rely more on chemical means or wet heat.

FWIW my prefered technique Re: disinfection of 'delicate' (i.e. non-autoclavable) items contaminated by 'viral material' (i.e. virions and infected host material) is irradiation by intense, 'soft' (λ≈230nm) ionizing radiation... But then such is impractical --even dangerous-- 'in the hands' (but to be certian, the eyes)' of 'the uninitiated'... Moreover, ignorant as I am as regards the chemistry of 'engraving inks/textiles', such may damage (e.g. bleach and/or embrittle) banknotes...

Many thanks for your informed response!

Very best regards
HP

 

Bet you don't remember the polio wards and "Iron Lungs." I do. In fact, we had quite a scare in my family when my older brother took ill during the Summer of 1952 or 1953. Even though there was no treatment, they saved lives. Fortunately, it was not polio, but he was kept in an isolation ward with polio patients at LA County Hospital.

I had all but forgotten the Iron Lung machines till you mentioned them. Yeah, polio too. Going back to my childhood during the 50s. My grandfather delivered the four of us kids and was the family doctor. Wow, medicine has come a long way.

Ron

 

Wow, medicine has come a long way.
Ron

No doubt about that. There might be some disagreement on which direction it has gone.

John

 

No doubt about that. There might be some disagreement on which direction it has gone.

John

TTFN
HP

 

Now is your time to shine.
https://qz.com/1832988/covid-19-results-in-new-jersey-desperately-needing-cobol-coders/

In New Jersey, experts are now needed to fix COBOL-based unemployment insurance systems—more than four decades old—that are overwhelmed due to pandemic-related job losses. At a press conference yesterday, governor Phil Murphy asked for the help of volunteer coders who still knew how to work in COBOL.

Of course, as cyber-security expert Joseph Steinberg noted on his blog, such volunteers are likely well over 60 years old, making them especially vulnerable to Covid-19. Whether they would risk venturing out (or work on a volunteer basis, for that matter) to fix creaky systems that should have been updated decades ago is an open question.

 

Now is your time to shine.
https://qz.com/1832988/covid-19-results-in-new-jersey-desperately-needing-cobol-coders/

Eewe! COBOL!- They have my deepest sympathy! (Banging head upon wall)

TTFN
HP

 

40YO Software??? And it still runs??? On what??? Amazing... Someone asleep at the wheel in NJ. Haven't they ever heard of maintenance upgrades?!?!

 

40YO Software??? And it still runs??? On what???

A ZX81 perhaps?

TTFN
HP

 

40YO Software??? And it still runs??? On what??? Amazing... Someone asleep at the wheel in NJ. Haven't they ever heard of maintenance upgrades?!?!

40YO Software running on maybe two layers of hardware emulation. You might be shocked by the numbers of modern systems with very old COBOL back-ends.

 

40YO Software running on maybe two layers of hardware emulation. You might be shocked by the numbers of modern systems with very old COBOL back-ends.

Indeed! legend has it that several antediluvian IBM-360 instalations ran a 'flavour' of said language/compiler...

Best regards
HP

 

Indeed! legend has it that several antediluvian IBM-360 instalations ran a 'flavour' of said language/compiler...

Best regards
HP

http://www.hercules-390.eu/

 

I remember running Unix software on the Microsoft NT which had Nutcracker, the Unix to MS converter kernel but that was a stopgap solution until the developers could upgrade and recompile the code. NOT an endall solution. Sheesh... Good example of inadequate bureaucratic oversight. IE I don't understand it so I'm going to pretend it isn't there. And too stupid to know any better.

 

Now is your time to shine.
https://qz.com/1832988/covid-19-results-in-new-jersey-desperately-needing-cobol-coders/

Can I log in remotely?

 

40YO Software running on maybe two layers of hardware emulation. You might be shocked by the numbers of modern systems with very old COBOL back-ends.

It's a widespread problem and an inevitable outcome of the make-or-buy decision for software. For many, many companies, it made no sense whatsoever to build their own software. They made the "right" decision in that regard. But an unintended consequence is the inability to keep that code up to date. The "wrong" decision was not seeing the sense of an annual? tune-up. It costs money and causes headaches, so why bother? The answer is eventually revealed.

 

It's a widespread problem and an inevitable outcome of the make-or-buy decision for software. For many, many companies, it made no sense whatsoever to build their own software. They made the "right" decision in that regard. But an unintended consequence is the inability to keep that code up to date. The "wrong" decision was not seeing the sense of an annual? tune-up. It costs money and causes headaches, so why bother? The answer is eventually revealed.

I agree with you to a point but sometimes rolling one's own is the way to go. While there is no shortage of commercial software out there to perform all sorts of task sometimes the task are unique and can be very unique such as in certain test applications. How data is acquired and stored, just certain things unique. Now if you just want to run an office and payroll then there are a dozen to choose from.

Ron

 

I agree with you to a point but sometimes rolling one's own is the way to go.

I absolutely agree. If such decisions were up to me, I'd probably err on the side of DIY every time. The benefit might not accrue for a decade or more but I always felt that my decision horizon should be at least as far out as my own career. My pet peeve was all the type-A bozos running around obsessed with the monthly numbers. If I were CEO, I'd fire them all.

 

A ZX81 perhaps?

TTFN
HP

You made me laugh and also recall something ridiculous now, but not when it happened.

I was Ch. Officer of a tanker vessel berthed at Bayonne Terminal - NJ, on 1981 IIRC. The top manager of our company was at the moment in New York for business.

He came on board and handed discretely to the Master one Timex Sinclair 1000 that he should bring to Buenos Aires, adding in a confidential tone: I will use it to keep my bank account updated. None of us there knew that that implied loading program and data with a cassette!! So much for a practical solution.

Worth to note that I also crossed to NY, bought mine and learnt BASIC during the voyage back home. From there to jump into micros was just waiting until one technician from Radio Holland working in our vessel in Curaçao, during a weekend, bought in Miami for me, a copy of Programming the Z80 by Rodnay Zacks. Then the journey started.