THE U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued a new order temporarily halting evictions in areas of the country with high levels of COVID-19 transmission.

The extension of the order, which was signed on Tuesday, August 3, is an effort to give relief to renters who may be unable to make rent or housing payments in counties experiencing “substantial” or “high” levels of the virus, particularly amid the Delta variant.

“The emergence of the Delta variant has led to a rapid acceleration of community transmission in the United States, putting more Americans at increased risk, especially if they are unvaccinated,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads.”

The moratorium will be in place until October 3 to help facilitate self-isolation and self-quarantine by people who become ill or who are at risk of transmitting COVID-19 by keeping people out of congregate settings and in their own homes.

“It is imperative that public health authorities act quickly to mitigate such an increase of evictions, which could increase the likelihood of new spikes in SARS-CoV-2 transmission.  Such mass evictions and the attendant public health consequences would be very difficult to reverse,” Walensky added. (AJPress)