Water shutoffs have been recorded in all 50 states,
according to Mary Grant, director of the Food &
Water Action’s Public Water for All Campaign.
Grant said her organization has tracked 417
municipalities and states that have issued
moratoriums on the shutoffs, including
the state of New York, where Gov. Andrew
Cuomo announced the suspension of utility
shutoffs March 13. The group estimates the
moratoriums protect more than 142 million
Americans from disconnections — or more
than 40% of the U.S. population.
In Alaska, the Rural Utility Collaborative advisory
committee, which manages water systems for
26 communities, just voted to immediately
reconnect running water to homes cut off for
not paying their bills.
“Hand-washing is the No. 1 prevention for
spreading any illness,” said Francine Moreno, the
utility’s senior program manager.
Grant’s group is calling for the moratoriums to
be extended nationwide.
“At a time when we’re hearing the federal
government, the CDC, our governors
say ‘wash your hands,’ for people who have
lost their water service because they can’t
afford the water bill, they can’t take these
measures,” she said.
A team of independent experts affiliated with
the United Nations Human Rights Council has
called on governments around the world to
end water cuts.
“The global struggle against the pandemic has
little chance to succeed if personal hygiene, the
main measure to prevent contagion, is unavailable