Just weeks ago, many American cities and states were enforcing restrictions on the use of plastics in stores and restaurants. Shoppers were required to bring reusable bags to food stores or pay a small amount of money to receive a bag. Restaurants in some areas were told not to use some plastic takeout containers. The efforts are part of a widespread U.S. movement to remove one-use plastic bags from everyday life. But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything. In just a few days, U.S. bans to reduce the use of plastics, mostly shopping bags, have been ignored by a public afraid of getting coronavirus. Governors in Massachusetts and Illinois have banned or urged against the use of reusable cloth bags often brought to food stores. Oregon suspended its new ban on plastic bags this week.