Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
National Eviction Ban Poised To Get Final 30-Day Extension
The Washington Post: White House Prepares Final 30-Day Extension Of Eviction Moratorium
Federal officials are expected to extend a national moratorium on evictions by 30 days, although no final decision has been made, according to two people familiar with the matter. The decision will be made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which first implemented the moratorium. The eviction moratorium was set to expire June 30. (Stein, 6/23)
CBS News: Americans Most Likely To Be Evicted Are The Least Likely To Be Vaccinated
As COVID-19 vaccination rates across America creep up, landlords are calling for an end to tenant protections, arguing that the public health crisis that led federal health authorities to freeze evictions is over. But data on evictions tell a different story. Across nine major U.S. cities, the neighborhoods with the highest rates of eviction lawsuits are also the areas with the lowest rates of vaccination, according to research from Princeton University. (Ivanova, 6/23)
In related news about covid's economic toll —
Crain's New York Business: Paid Sick Leave Law Reduced ER Usage, But Biz Leaders Decry Complicated Mandate
Business leaders acknowledge the importance of protecting employees’ right to paid sick leave, especially during the pandemic, but they are criticizing what they call vague language and the various prohibitions that make it hard to comply with the legislation. The state’s version of the paid sick leave law took effect Jan. 1. Some employers say the way it has been implemented has put an undue burden on them. “Employers providing paid sick leave is a good thing. That’s why 80% of businesses had provided it in some form even before the legislation,” said Frank Kerbein, director of the Center for Human Resources at the Business Council of New York State. “But the way New York state has done it is bad.” (Sim, 6/23)
The Washington Post: Retail Workers Are Quitting At Record Rates For Higher-Paying Work: ‘My Life Isn’t Worth A Dead-End Job’
Retail workers, drained from the pandemic and empowered by a strengthening job market, are leaving jobs like never before. Americans are ditching their jobs by the millions, and retail is leading the way with the largest increase in resignations of any sector. Some 649,000 retail workers put in their notice in April, the industry’s largest one-month exodus since the Labor Department began tracking such data more than 20 years ago. (Bhattarai, 6/21)
Health News Florida: As COVID Eases, Children's Advocates Worry Food Assistance Will Dwindle
A statewide organization representing farmworkers is raising alarms about food insecurity among Latino Floridians. “Now that the pandemic is kind of easing up, we see that the resources are now going back, going back. And pretty soon, we’re going to not have any of the resources that are trying to feed families," says Arturo Lopez, executive director of the Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations. (Prieur, 6/23)
Also —
The Washington Post: FEMA Pressed On Historically High Rejection Rates For Disaster Survivors
At a time of worsening natural disasters and with the Biden administration leaning more heavily on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to handle a host of crises, the head of the agency was called before Congress on Wednesday to explain to a key subcommittee why FEMA’s approval rates for disaster survivors who apply for help have fallen to historic lows. “Survivors who have lost literally everything should not have to go through a rigmarole to try to prove eligibility for often meager FEMA assistance. It’s demoralizing,” said Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation subcommittee on transportation and infrastructure, at Wednesday’s hearing. (Dreier, 6/23)
