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New York, Los Angeles, and San Jose are in various stages of a temporary eviction ban The rapid spread of COVID-19 has investors reeling, as the stock market has dropped almost 30 percent since Feb. 24.
But the long tail of the economic fallout of the coronavirus could hit low-income workers the hardest. Cancelled games, concerts, and conferences mean people who work the events may not get paid. Taxi and ride share drivers have fewer fares as people avoid travel. Restaurant workers have fewer patrons as customers stay indoors.
Low-income workers are more likely to live paycheck to paycheck and less likely to have savings, so any disruption to their income could put them at risk of not being able to pay rent, and thus make them subject to eviction. All of which makes the isolation and quarantine phase of the pandemic potentially devastating for poor Americans. In hopes of avoiding mass evictions in the coming weeks and months, numerous cities, states, and counties across the country have implemented temporary moratoriums on evictions in hopes of limiting the economic damage that evictions on a large scale could cause.
Los Angeles?s ban was an order from Mayor Eric Garcetti, but Angelenos are still waiting on the specifics of how it will work. Garcetti is also exploring options for preventing commercial evictions for small businesses and restaurants, which can only serve take-out, delivery, and drive-through customers. Nearby Santa Monica has also instit...