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Biden isn't putting a moratorium on evictions and utility cutoffs just to be nice. It SAVES LIVES!
Moratoria on Utility Shutoffs and Evictions Reduced COVID-19 Infection Rates, Duke Analysis Findhttps://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/articles/moratoria-utility-shutoffs-and-evictions-reduced-covid-19-infection-rates-duke-analysis
DURHAM, N.C. -- Policies that helped financially struggling Americans stay in their homes and keep access to water and electricity during the COVID-19 pandemic also helped reduce the spread of the virus, according to a new analysis by Duke University researchers.
Eviction moratoria and relief from utility disconnections reduced COVID-19 cases by 8.2 percent from the onset of the pandemic through the end of November 2020, the authors found. The findings were published Monday as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper. Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package to provide rental and utility assistance for those hardest hit by the pandemic’s economic fallout.
“Staying at home, working and schooling remotely and social distancing have been critical in addressing this public health crisis,” said co-author Christopher Timmins, a professor of economics at Duke. “But complying with these measures is difficult when your home and access to water and electricity are at risk. Our analysis shows that measures to prevent evictions and utility disconnections work to reduce infections and deaths from COVID-19.”
The analysis utilized daily reports of confirmed COVID-19 infections in each of the United States’ 3,141 counties from March 1 to Nov. 28, 2020. Controlling for demographic, health and environmental factors, the interdisciplinary research team examined how the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 was affected by policies intended to prevent evictions or shutoff of essential services such as water and electricity.
Specifically, the authors focused on the effects of local eviction and utility disconnection moratoria. Even after accounting for varied federal- and state-level interventions, local eviction moratoria reduced the number of COVID-19 cases by 3.8 percent and COVID-related deaths by 11 percent, the authors found. Utility disconnection moratoria reduced cases by 4.4 percent and deaths by 7.4 percent, they found.
Both types of measures have varied widely in duration and scope, often being introduced late in the pandemic. If such measures had been implemented nationwide on March 1, 2020, eviction moratoria would have resulted in a 14.2 percent decrease in cases and a decrease in deaths as high as 40.7 percent, the authors found. Utility shutoff moratoria would have cut infections by 8.7 percent and deaths by 14.8 percent, the study found.
Eviction moratoria and relief from utility disconnections reduced COVID-19 cases by 8.2 percent from the onset of the pandemic through the end of November 2020, the authors found. The findings were published Monday as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper. Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package to provide rental and utility assistance for those hardest hit by the pandemic’s economic fallout.
“Staying at home, working and schooling remotely and social distancing have been critical in addressing this public health crisis,” said co-author Christopher Timmins, a professor of economics at Duke. “But complying with these measures is difficult when your home and access to water and electricity are at risk. Our analysis shows that measures to prevent evictions and utility disconnections work to reduce infections and deaths from COVID-19.”
The analysis utilized daily reports of confirmed COVID-19 infections in each of the United States’ 3,141 counties from March 1 to Nov. 28, 2020. Controlling for demographic, health and environmental factors, the interdisciplinary research team examined how the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 was affected by policies intended to prevent evictions or shutoff of essential services such as water and electricity.
Specifically, the authors focused on the effects of local eviction and utility disconnection moratoria. Even after accounting for varied federal- and state-level interventions, local eviction moratoria reduced the number of COVID-19 cases by 3.8 percent and COVID-related deaths by 11 percent, the authors found. Utility disconnection moratoria reduced cases by 4.4 percent and deaths by 7.4 percent, they found.
Both types of measures have varied widely in duration and scope, often being introduced late in the pandemic. If such measures had been implemented nationwide on March 1, 2020, eviction moratoria would have resulted in a 14.2 percent decrease in cases and a decrease in deaths as high as 40.7 percent, the authors found. Utility shutoff moratoria would have cut infections by 8.7 percent and deaths by 14.8 percent, the study found.
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