The ultra left-wing city of San Francisco, Calif. is bailing on environmentalism during a time of great crisis, banning the use of reusable plastic bags at grocery stores temporarily due to concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has issued an ordinance preventing city residents from taking reusable items into the public and using them in essential stores. They believe this will make it more difficult for germs to proliferate throughout the city.

“There is no effective treatment or cure yet for the disease, testing ability while improving remains constrained, and San Francisco’s health care system is at ongoing risk of being overwhelmed. For these reasons, it is imperative that San Francisco not only extend the duration of its stay at home order but also further limit essential activities and extend social distancing requirements outside the home,” the ordinance reads.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has not hesitated to shut down civil society in order to combat the spread of coronavirus. She has effectively tossed environmentalism to the wayside, showing that the frequent leftist bugaboo is not actually a pressing concern.

“I can’t reiterate enough how important it is for all of us to continue to comply, for all of us to continue to be good citizens, to cooperate,” said Breed, who has issued lockdown edicts that last until at least May 3.

Today we officially extended the stay at home health order through May 3. I want to thank the people of San Francisco for continuing to do their part to save lives. I know this isn’t easy but we will get through it together. pic.twitter.com/4rggISBnQv

— London Breed (@LondonBreed) March 31, 2020

In 2007, San Francisco was the first city in America to ban the use of plastic shopping bags. The leftists on the Board of Supervisors enacted this prohibition to satisfy Mother Earth and potentially start a trend throughout the country.

“I am astounded and surprised by the worldwide attention,” Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi said at the time, according to the SFGate. “Hopefully, other cities and other states will follow suit.”

The grocery store lobby in the state came out against the regulation at the time, believing that it would accomplish little to help the environment and only serve to frustrate consumers.

“We’re disappointed that the Board of Supervisors is going down this path,” said Kristin Power, who worked as the vice president of government relations for the California Grocers Association.

“It will frustrate recycling efforts and will increase both consumer and retailer costs. There’s also a real concern about the availability and quality of compostable bags,” she added.

By instituting their emergency measures, San Francisco has demonstrated that environmental concerns are not particularly important in the grand scheme of things. These lofty goals are put on the back burner when a real crisis, such as the coronavirus panic, takes precedence.