CDC extends federal eviction moratorium

lakshmiprasad S/iStockBy KAREN TRAVERS, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — As the spread of coronavirus forced businesses to temporarily and permanently shutdown over the last year, many Americans without job security also faced potential eviction from their homes. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved to extend the federal moratorium on evictions of tenants who are unable to make rental payments.

Politicians at the state and federal levels initially called for a moratorium on evictions as tenants struggled with unemployment pressures, but that action was set to expire Wednesday, March 31. On Monday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed an extension through June 30.

The CDC said in a statement Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented “historic threat to the nation’s public health,” and that keeping people in their homes and out of crowded living situations — such as homeless shelters — by preventing evictions is a key part of containing the virus.

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