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The end of the eviction moratorium raises concerns regarding public health.
Millions of U.S. citizens could be forced out of their homes as several states end eviction bans in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Several U.S. state governments introduced eviction bans in March when COVID-19 began to impact the U.S. economy, leading to high unemployment rates in the country.
The end of the eviction moratorium raises concerns regarding public health during the crisis. According to Princeton University Eviction Laboratory’s (EL) founder Emily Benter, nearly 28 million people could be evicted in the coming months.
As of this day, eviction bans have been lifted in cities including Houston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and St. Louis, EL revealed.
It is infuriating to watch as millions of people sit on the brink of eviction, struggle to feed their families, and wonder if they’ll be able to afford a trip to the hospital when there is enough money to solve all of those issues. The money is there. It’s a lie to say it isn’t.
— Clint Smith (@ClintSmithIII) July 17, 2020
In an interview for Chinese local outlet Xinhua, National Low Income Housing Coalition President Diane Yentel said that this situation could lead to a virus’ outbreak for displaced families are less able to find shelter.
"In these cases where social distancing is difficult or impossible, the likelihood of them contracting and spreading coronavirus increases exponentially," Yentel said.
The U.S. death toll has already exceeded the lowest White House’s initial estimates. In March, the Trump administration projected up to 240,000 deaths in its "best-case scenario."
As of Saturday, the country had reported 4,312,288 confirmed cases and 149,340 deaths. For over a week now, Florida is the new nation’s virus epicenter, along with Texas and Arizona.
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