The US health authorities announced Tuesday, under pressure from the left wing of the Democrats, that the deadline to vacate their homes will be extended until October, citing public health risks in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The emergence of the delta mutant has accelerated the spread of infection in the United States, putting more Americans at greater risk, especially if they are not vaccinated,” wrote Rochelle Wallinsky, director of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, the main federal public health agency in the United States.

She noted that this extension of the deadline for evictions “is the right thing to do so that people stay in their homes and not in gathering places where Covid-19 is spreading.” This extension will last until 3 October.

Even if the extension could be challenged in court, it would “likely allow additional time” to pay renters money that Congress appropriated in February to help them pay their rent, President Joe Biden said.

There is a delay in the arrival of funds promised by the federal government to help tenants pay their rent, in their bank accounts.

The money is paid to states and local communities who are then charged with distributing aid to families. However, this requires the establishment of advanced systems for receiving applications, verifying the status of individuals, and paying money, among others.

Consequently, only $3 billion reached families out of the $46 billion approved by the government, including $25 billion that was spent in early February.

More than ten million people have not paid their rent, according to estimates by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, an independent research institute.

About 3.6 million tenants consider themselves at risk of eviction from their homes within two months, according to a study by the Statistics Office that included 51 million tenants in early July.

The deadline for suspending evictions of tenants, which has been extended several times, expired at midnight on Saturday. That deadline was given for health reasons related to the pandemic.

(AFP)