Aug. 21 (UPI) — A federal appeals court on Friday kept in place the Biden administration’s recent eviction moratorium.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected an effort by Alabama and Georgia landlord groups, which sought to vacate a ruling by a lower court preserving the moratorium.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration was pleased with the court’s ruling.
“Throughout the pandemic, national, state and local eviction moratoria have kept people housed and slowed the spread of COVID-19. As we continue our effort to stop the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, the eviction moratorium remains vitally important,” she said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Aug. 3 issued the targeted moratorium for communities experiencing high transmission of COVID-19 through Oct. 3.
Under the moratorium, tenants living in counties that improve their COVID-19 rates and do not experience substantial and high transmission for 14 days will lose their protection, while tenants in areas where case rates increase can gain protection.
A previous eviction ban imposed by the CDC expired at the end of July after being in place for more than a year.
President Joe Biden said the new eviction ban would give states more time to distribute rental assistance that’s still unused.
