All Residential Evictions Halted In Amarillo And Nationwide

Under the Biden administration the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Wednesday it would be halting residential evictions nationwide through the end of March.

Evictions have been halted by the CDC due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. New CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the move is a "protective health measure" and said the pandemic had "triggered a housing affordability crisis that disproportionately affects some communities."

"Despite extensive mitigation efforts, COVID-19 continues to spread in America at a concerning pace," Walensky said. "We must act to get cases down and keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings - like shelters - where COVID-19 can take an even stronger foothold."

The order, previously scheduled to expire January 31, was created to temporarily halt evictions for nonpayment of rent for tenants who have been financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden signed 17 executive orders on his first day in office, including one requesting that the federal agencies overseeing eviction and foreclosure moratoriums extend those orders until at least the end of March.

“Despite extensive mitigation efforts, COVID-19 continues to spread in America at a concerning pace,” Walensky said in a statement. “We must act to get cases down and keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings — like shelters — where COVID-19 can take an even stronger foothold.”

Housing advocates are calling on Biden and the CDC to not only extend, but strengthen and improve, the existing eviction moratorium.

Evictions for non-payment of rent have still been occurring throughout the country even with the current moratorium in place, however courts are not processing those evictions.