California’s ban on plastic bags is on hold during the coronavirus outbreak

Californians, you can have single-use plastic grocery bags again.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Thursday suspending for 60 days the state’s voter-approved ban on single-use plastic bags.

Many California grocery stores have discouraged people from bringing reusable bags with them because of concerns about spreading the coronavirus. In their place, markets for weeks have been offering the kind lightweight plastics voters banned by initiative four years ago.

Newsom’s executive order allows grocery stores to hand out single-use plastic grocery bags, at no cost, where it is not possible to hand out paper or reusable plastic bags.

The initiative voters passed in 2016 required retailers to charge customers 10 cents for store-provided bags. Newsom’s executive order also waives that requirement.

The order specifies that it does not supersede local plastic bag ban ordinances that were in effect prior to Jan. 1, 2015.