Americans have found comfort in cash during the outbreak of the coronavirus, leading to an increase in cash demand and to the US mint upping their coin production. At the same time, restaurants and retailers have increasingly refused to accept cash payments which called legislators and consumer protection groups on the scene
After San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Massachusetts, the council of New York City voted on 10th September to prohibit businesses from only accepting cashless payments. All restaurants and retailers must be prepared to accept cash by November 9th.
While the threat of a cashless society was already looming over the United States, the coronavirus has been used by many non-cash payment providers to create the myth that cash is not safe to use. This gave some merchants the excuse to deny cash, a detrimental move which has spurred non-profit advocacy groups to call for nationwide action to protect vulnerable individuals:
