Morgan McKay is reporting for State of Politics citing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus novel in New York, Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan has called on the state Department of Environmental Conservation to suspend the recently implemented plastic bag ban. The ban went into effect on March 1, but it will not be enforced until April 1. In a statement, Flanagan pointed to a report released by the National Institute of Health March 11. He said the study found the coronavirus can be carried and spread by reusable grocery bags. "It is time to protect New Yorkers from the continuing spread of coronavirus by taking the additional steps of suspending the plastic bag ban and saying no to policies — at this time — that could lead to any additional cases," Flanagan said. Health officials have stressed that very little is known about COVID-19 and research is still being done on how exactly the virus is spread. According to the state Health Department, it is believed it can live on hard surfaces anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Read the full story at NYStateofPolitics [dot] com.