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As more and more people are isolated to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, Miami and San Jose, California have temporarily stopped all evictions, while other cities are considering doing the same. New York State halted evictions on Sunday, and in a memo, New York Judge Lawrence Malks specified that courts other than the Supreme Court will remain open for civil matters, for “essential applications as the courts allow.”
North Carolina has stopped eviction and foreclosure hearings for the next 30 days, and in California, the San Jose City Council approved a proposal preventing evictions amid the coronavirus emergency while San Francisco officials are putting forward similar legislation.
“We must avoid the creation of a greater public health emergency that would result from subjecting thousands more families to homelessness, and we must protect our residents from the fear of potential eviction resulting from economic dislocation,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said when proposing the city’s temporary moratorium on evictions.
In other cities, mayors have declared states of emergency that bar evictions from moving forward, including Miami-Dade County, Florida and Baltimore. In Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh stated he had asked the Massachusetts court system “to offer leniency to those facing non-essential evictions” as consumer advocates called for a ban on the practice during the infectious disease pandemic.
Denver, Seattle, Portland, and San Antonio have all announced a suspension in evictions during the outbreak, The Hill reports. Most orders have a 30-day limit as of now, CNN noted, but San Antonio’s suspension says it will continue “until further notice” and Boston’s is set in place to continue for 90 days, with reviews every 30 days.
In Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan said a moratorium would be placed on residential evictions last week.
“We have entered an unprecedented era for our City,” she said in a statement. “Too many families are already struggling, and COVID-19 virus has disproportionately affected the communities who can least afford it.”
