With many FECs and arcades preparing to reopen after the COVID-19 shutdown, incorporating upgraded sanitation and customer safety programs is essential. To assist in this effort, Intercard is offering free educational materials that call attention to the health risks of using smartphones and mobile devices for contactless payment until there is a treatment or vaccine for COVID-19.
Scientists, physicians and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have highlighted the risk of germ and virus transmission by mobile devices. “Cell phones are like an organ of your body, an extension of your body,” Canadian microbiology specialist Jason Tetro, author of “The Germ Files,” told The Canadian Press in April. “So you have to think of it in the same way that you would think of your hands or feet or something along those lines.” Tetro goes on to say that “the risk is really high that a contaminated phone could lead to you having exposure.”
“Guests are taking an unnecessary risk of exposure to COVID-19 by paying with mobile phones at an arcade,” says Scott Sherrod, CEO of Intercard. “Informing consumers that credit cards and game cards are less likely to spread germs and viruses than mobile phones is crucial as operators get ready for a return to business. As CEO my priority is to make sure my customers and their guests are safe and the Pay It Safe campaign can help do that,” says Sherrod.
“Pay It Safe” is the slogan featured on artwork that Intercard is making available free to all amusement operators so that they can warn their guests about the greater risks of using cell phones and mobile devices for payment. Operators can print Pay It Safe posters to display in their facility and post the message on their websites and social media accounts.