Indeed, a pandemic might be just the excuse a government needs to cancel the old currency in favour of a new one.

“Due to the unprecedented fall in tax receipts, the sudden loss of confidence in our currency and rapidly rising prices we are no longer able to fund the basic services this country needs, neither from existing resources nor from borrowing. Therefore with immediate effect all banks and government offices will close while we set out plans to put the economy back on track supported by a new strong currency backed in part by our huge reserves of gold. Measures will be put in place to ensure that what has happened to our currency can never happen again to the new one.”