Eviction Moratorium Will Be Extended Again, Cuomo Says

NEW YORK, NY — A ban on coronavirus-related residential evictions, set to expire on New Year's Day, will be extended yet again, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

When asked about the eviction restrictions on Wednesday, Cuomo told reporters that he plans to extend it when it expires.

"We update these things as we go," Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa said. "We're not going to let anybody who's evicted due to these circumstances be evicted."

The promise comes a little over a week before the moratorium — which applies specifically to those impacted by the pandemic — is set to expire.

The governor and DeRosa mistakenly said Wednesday the restrictions are "in place through Sunday," though according to their most recent executive order, the restrictions are in place until Jan. 1, not Dec. 27.

They did not specify how long the upcoming extension will be.

Cuomo first announced the "moratorium" in March, though it has been criticized for not fully protecting tenants throughout the state. The first legal eviction since March in New York City happened in November, and housing experts say more are on the way.

Many have called to "cancel rent" and pushed for sweeping reforms.

Cuomo's moratorium, which overlaps with other eviction bans, falls short of that. Known as the Tenant Safe Harbor Act, it applies to residential renters who have experienced financial hardship from COVID-19.