News release: Almost 500,000 COVID Infections May Have Been Prevented with a National Water Shutoff Moratorium
Almost half a million COVID infections could have been prevented last year if there had been a national moratorium on water service shutoffs, according to new research from Cornell University and the national advocacy group Food & Water Watch. The findings also show that during the same period, from mid-April through the end of 2020, 9,000 COVID deaths could have been prevented with a robust moratorium on water shutoffs. The study found that states that had instituted policies to prevent water shutoffs reduced the growth rates for COVID infections and deaths.