New research out of Duke University shows that stopping evictions and utility shutoffs made a difference in the preventing the spread and deaths related to COVID-19.
While President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order extending the federal eviction moratorium through March 31, 2021 encouraging Congress to further extend it through September 30, there is no guidance for utilities.
Biden is also proposing a $25 billion plan for rental assistance for low and moderate income households facing job losses from the pandemic. Within his relief plan is $5 billion for renters struggling to cover utility bills.
In Orange County, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, or OWASA, implemented utility shutoff moratoria of their own – almost one full year ago.
OWASA executive director Todd Taylor said his agency began temporarily suspending utility shutoffs for people with overdue bills in March 2020 to ease financial burdens and maintain public health.
“With everything going towards being safer at home, and more folks being at home, and needing to wash their hands, and needing to get rid of their waste in a very efficient manner we wanted to make sure that everybody had access to those services,” Taylor said.
The challenges of COVID-19 also impacted how OWASA could provide their services to Orange County residents.
“There was a lot we had to learn about the virus and how we could deliver our water and waste water services to the community under that impacts of the pandemic,” Taylor said. “It also impacted us quite a bit on the water demands for the community. Large institutions like UNC and the [Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district] were forced to close and that has pretty significance impact on the water usage in community.”
Duke researchers found utility disconnection moratoria reduced coronavirus cases by 4.4 percent and coronavirus related deaths by 7.4 percent.
If such measures had been implemented nationwide in March 2020 the study found a utility shutoff moratoria would have cut infections by 8.7 percent and deaths by 14.8 percent.
While North Carolina has extended their evictions moratorium, the utility moratorium expired in November 2020. But this has not changed OWASA’s plans.
Taylor said his agency will follow directions of the Orange County government and will keep its moratorium in place until the state of emergency ends.
“We’ve committed to providing the community 30 days notice before we resume our standard collection practices,” Taylor said.
The Orange County state of emergency is set to end in March – one year since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
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