Looming US evictions spur growing concerns, calls for action

US-wide moratorium on housing evictions expired at midnight on Saturday, threatening to push millions into the streets.

Concerns are growing in the United States after a nationwide moratorium on rental evictions during the coronavirus pandemic expired this weekend, threatening to make millions of Americans homeless as early as Monday morning. A freeze on evictions expired at midnight on Saturday, triggering a scramble to unlock billions of dollars in stalled rental aid and spurring blame-trading in Washington, DC. Renters had been shielded from eviction after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last year imposed a moratorium to keep people in their homes during the COVID-19 crisis, which has killed more than 613,000 people across the US and hit the economy hard.