Local Eviction Moratoria and the Spread of COVID‐19

ABSTRACT At different stages during the initial onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, various US states and local municipalities enacted eviction moratoria. One of the main aims of these moratoria was to slow the spread of COVID‐19 infections. We deploy a semiparametric difference‐in‐differences approach with an event study specification to examine whether the lifting of these local moratoria was associated with changes in COVID‐19 cases and deaths. Our main findings, across a range of specifications, are inconclusive regarding the impact of the moratoria. Our findings provide no statistically precise evidence that lifting eviction moratoria affected COVID‐19 cases or deaths as previous research has suggested.