REVERSE COURSE

CDC Issues New, Targeted Eviction Ban Until Oct. 3

The measure prevents evictions from areas with high rates of COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction ban on Tuesday targeted toward counties with high rates of COVID-19. The ban, which will replace the previous CDC moratorium that expired Saturday, will cover about 90 percent of renters through Oct. 3. It will bar evictions in areas with “substantial and high levels” of COVID-19 transmission. The official announcement of the new ban came after President Joe Biden acknowledged that the new moratorium could face legal challenges but said he believed it “will probably give some additional time” to renters in need of assistance.

Some Congressional Democrats had urged the Biden administration to extend the moratorium, though the White House said just days before the moratorium expired that it didn’t have the authority. Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) slept on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for four nights to protest the lack of action. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with lawmakers on Tuesday to discuss the moratorium, though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined calls to bring the House back from recess to approve the legislation even while supporting calls for its renewal.