Seattle mayor extends COVID eviction moratoriums

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says the city’s eviction moratoriums will remain in place through Jan. 15, 2022, rather than expiring at the end of September. The Seattle Times reports Durkan extended the moratoriums with an executive order on Tuesday. She cited the spread of COVID-19’s delta variant and an ongoing effort to distribute rent assistance to tenants who are behind on their payments. As many as 60,000 Seattle-area residents are in households with rental debt, according to a survey last month. Seattle’s moratoriums on most residential evictions and some commercial evictions have been extended six times since they were established in March 2020.