Local Eviction Moratoria and the Spread of COVID-19

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.