With evictions set to restart, housing advocates fear another coronavirus wave

When the Centers for Disease Control extended eviction protections for renters one more time last month, to July 31, it said in no uncertain terms the extension would be the last. But a surge of COVID-19 cases around the country is causing housing advocates to raise the alarm, worried that a surge of evictions could fuel yet another wave of COVID-19, especially as the hyper-infectious Delta variant spreads across the country.

They have reason to worry. A recent analysis shows that millions of the nation's distressed renters are living in COVID-19 hot spots where the Delta variant is surging fastest. Citing this research, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has called for the Biden administration to extend the moratorium, saying, "We must protect the vulnerable and do everything in our power to prevent a mass eviction crisis."