(1). 1:A deus ex machina of sorts has come from the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), the federal public-health agency that is occasionally the target of the president’s scorn. 2:Arguing that evictions hasten the spread of the virus, it issued a sweeping moratorium starting on September 4th that applies to most renters nationwide (excepting American Samoa, which has been spared even a single case of covid-19). 3:This came after an executive order from President Donald Trump that sought to “take all lawful measures to prevent residential evictions and foreclosures”. 4:To qualify, renters must certify that they earn less than $99,000 and are unable to pay even after seeking government assistance. 5:However, they must still make “timely partial payments” and will still owe back-rent.
(2). 1:The public-health rationale for the decision is straightforward. 2:A team of epidemiologists at Harvard, the University of Illinois and the University of Pennsylvania has published a model estimating that even a low eviction rate (0.25% of households per month) would increase caseloads by 1.5% by the end of the year. 3:But a high eviction rate (2% of households per month) would increase cases by 13%. 4:The nonmedical consequences of pausing evictions could prove equally important. 5:Studies of the last recession showed that moving several times a year was associated with worse performance at school, the effects of which linger over a lifetime. 6:And since evictions are caused by a failure to pay rent, reduced housing costs may allow increased spending on other necessities for struggling families.