Douglass Dowty is reporting for syracuse [dot] com there can be no evictions in New York state until the COVID-19 emergency is over, meaning no evictions until Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo says so. Competing orders issued in recent months have caused confusion among renters, landlords and lawyers about rules that suspended evictions during the crisis. There was some concern that tenant protections ran out this week when those executive orders expired. But a state law, passed at the end of June, says no one can be forced from their homes until the governor lifts all restrictions on businesses and non-essential gatherings. While the state appears to be well on its way to restoring a semblance of normalcy in some areas, restrictions on gatherings and businesses are expected to remain in effect for many more months, if not longer. The eviction protections continue “until I declare them no longer in effect,” Cuomo said August 6. “As we stand here today, regardless of any executive order, nobody can be evicted for any financial hardship suffered during the COVID crisis,” Cuomo's chief of staff, Melissa DeRosa, said, referencing the Safe Harbor Law. Read the full story at syracuse [dot] com.