One of the first lockdown restrictions here in Tenerife was the suspension of coin payments on the public service Titsa bus service. Big changes are on the cards for bars and restaurants everywhere, not just limits to seating and time allowances. We will have to adapt to tight rules and regulations that will change our social habits. One of the big issues is the handling of frequently palmed coins and notes. Of course our flexible friends, credit and debit cards, as well as phone swipes, will eliminate much of the interaction but wont cover all situations.

Small purchases like a small drink or a coffee are usually paid for in loose change, also many low paid bar and restaurant workers rely on on coin tips to make up their wages. Another popular use for shrapnel is the charity collection boxes you see on many a counter. Spain hasnt gone down the road of plastic, washable notes, maybe coins could be run through a beer glass like cleansing machine, but its all more detail to slow the slick process of business.

There are already more radical alternatives to filthy lucre. Crypto Currency has a lot of supporters. A dinosaur like me can just about cope with Paypal, a crypto bar opened in Los Cristianos a couple of years ago and a friendly waitress shocked me by revealing a crammed page of the menu just devoted to crypto currency, as well as normal money, but she looked blankly at me when I offered Esso World Cup coins.The bar didnt last long which maybe tells its own tale. It makes my mind creak to think I have witnessed two changes of currency, in 1972 decimalisation shook up my UK piggy bank, and in 2002 the euro replacement of pesetas put my brain to the test once more. Amazingly pesetas can still be redeemed through the Bank Of Spain until the end of 2020, some estimates say there are millions of coins and notes tucked away out there.

All changes are met with pockets of resistance but we soon learn to live with them. Maybe the aftermath of the Coronavirus will inspire new easier and safer ways of trading and if all else fails we can take a quantum leap back to the days of barter and skill swaps. Imagine topping up your phone by handing a chicken or some other poultry over the counter. At least it would bring a more humane ring to the term battery hens.