You've probably come across a sign that says "Due to COV-19 we will no longer be accepting cash as a form of payment only debit and credit cards." Like most pretenses due to quarantine people's health and safety are cited as the reasons for removal of our anonymity and freedom from having our digital information logged and recorded. First of all contracting coronavirus, or other respiratory viruses like influenza, on your hands only leads to infection when it is transferred from your hand to places like your mouth, nose or eyes. The B.C Center for Disease Control says that risk of infection via cash is low and is similar to surfaces such as doorknobs and handrails it recommends if you are handling cash the best measure is washing your hands. What forms of payment are acceptable? Debit cards assuming you have a bank account and credit cards assuming you have a line of credit. Why is this? Everybody who comes in the store still has to touch the same terminal assuming the store doesn't have the tap option. If you disinfect the terminal after every use why not do the same with legal tender. The move to a cashless society is not one determined by recent events but has been set in motion every since the institution of the credit card. I myself have been trained to disregard the usefulness of cash because of the convenience of a line of credit. All my purchases are logged and I can't buy anything illegal with my card if I were so inclined. Once we as society accept this as a norm we give up our last bit of freedom to centralized authorities. Now this part is just conjecture on my part but what is the real reason for going cashless? Its to slowly prepare you for the coming infrastructure that will be completely centralized and absolutely authoritarian, you were always  at a disadvantage with a bank account. There is no limit to how much you can deposit but there are limits to how much you can withdraw. Have you ever tried to dispute a transaction that you didn't authorize with your credit card company? Countless bureaucracy with an entity that tells you how you can use THEIR money and where you use or send it. The future is not friendly and if you can not find an alternative to the direction your government wants you to go then you weren't paying close enough attention.