So if it is figurative(the mark) and without it we can no longer buy and sell,how will they detect it at the shops?🤔

So if it is figurative(the mark) and without it we can no longer buy and sell,how will they detect it at the shops?🤔
On versus 16: It puts under compulsion all people—the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slaves—that these should be marked on their right hand or on their forehead,
Makes me think of covid-19 since it happened to infect everyone regardless of social standing but c-19 could be a precursor to a more contagious virus that will lead to the mark.