[ti:Pandemic Deals Blow to Plastic Reduction Efforts] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.96]Just weeks ago, many American cities and states were enforcing restrictions [00:08.72]on the use of plastics in stores and restaurants. [00:14.24]Shoppers were required to bring reusable bags to food stores [00:19.88]or pay a small amount of money to receive a bag. [00:24.52]Restaurants in some areas were told not to use some plastic takeout containers. [00:32.04]The efforts are part of a widespread U.S. movement to remove one-use plastic bags from everyday life. [00:40.96]But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything. [00:46.28]In just a few days, U.S. bans to reduce the use of plastics, mostly shopping bags, [00:53.60]have been ignored by a public afraid of getting coronavirus. [00:59.24]Governors in Massachusetts and Illinois have banned [01:03.44]or urged against the use of reusable cloth bags often brought to food stores. [01:11.32]Oregon suspended its new ban on plastic bags this week. [01:16.96]And cities from Bellingham, Washington, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, [01:22.04]have announced a temporary halt on plastic bag bans as the coronavirus crisis continues. [01:31.44]There is an increase in takeout food and a ban on reusable cups and straws [01:39.08]at the few coffee stores that remain open. [01:43.40]Many environmentalists worry that COVID-19 [01:47.72]could end their successful efforts to reduce plastic pollution. [01:54.48]"People are scared for their lives...the economy, feeding their loved ones, [02:00.96]so the environment is taking a back seat," said Glen Quadros. [02:07.08]He is owner of the Great American Diner & Bar in Seattle, Washington. [02:13.76]Quadros has lost 15 employees and seen a 60 percent decrease in business [02:21.00]since Seattle shut down to slow the virus. [02:25.40]Now, he is using biodegradable containers for takeout, [02:30.32]but they are costly -- up to three times more than plastic. [02:36.44]They are also getting difficult to find, he said, because of demand. [02:42.84]The plastics industry sees the current situation as a chance to get U.S. officials to reconsider the restrictions. [02:54.04]The industry is asking states to remove bans on plastics [02:58.84]by arguing that plastic one-use bags are safer in the current crisis. [03:06.56]California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont [03:15.68]have all banned plastic bags statewide. [03:20.40]New York's ban has not yet started because of legal action. [03:26.20]The Plastics Industry Association recently sent a letter to Alex Azar. [03:32.48]He is head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [03:38.36]The association asked him to speak out against plastic bag bans, [03:43.60]arguing that the rules are putting people at risk. [03:48.48]In Oregon, a union representing food store workers is asking the state government for a ban on reusable bags. [03:57.92]A Chicago union called for an end "to the disease-transmitting bag tax." [04:06.32]Critics say people who use reusable bags do not often wash them. [04:13.12]A study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found the virus can stay on plastics for up to three days. [04:23.00]It also can stay on cardboard material for up to one day. [04:28.44]The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it appears possible for a person to get COVID-19 [04:37.16]by touching something that has the virus on it and then touching their face. [04:44.04]But experts have said that is not the main way the virus spreads. [04:50.04]More studies are needed to really know if reusable bags are in fact dangerous, says Dr. Jennifer Vines. [04:58.68]She is the lead health official for Portland, Oregon. [05:03.88]Vines said that currently, it is not clear whether a virus found on a surface [05:10.00]– including cloth or something else - can actually give someone the virus. [05:16.80]Some food stores are letting shoppers use their own bags if they put the food inside, [05:23.44]so the worker does not have to touch the bag. [05:27.80]Others have banned them. [05:30.48]Environmental groups have pushed back strongly against arguments by the plastics industry [05:37.28]that banning one-use plastic bags could worsen the pandemic. [05:43.52]John Hocevar of Greenpeace USA said, [05:47.36]"the movement... is not going to be that easy for the plastic industry to stop." [05:55.12]I'm Jill Robbins. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM