Citing the emergence of the Delta variant, Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky signed a new eviction moratorium order Tuesday that expires on Oct. 3 and applies to tenants in U.S. counties experiencing substantial and high levels of community transmission of COVID-19.

The new order comes just days after the federal government's previous eviction moratorium had expired. According to the CDC, it issued the new order after determining the evictions of tenants for failure to make rent or housing payments "could be detrimental to public health control measures to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19."

The CDC said the moratorium allows more time for relief to reach renters, and for people to get vaccinated.

"The emergence of the delta variant has led to a rapid acceleration of community transmission in the United States, putting more Americans at increased risk, especially if they are unvaccinated," Wolensky said in a statement. "This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads. It is imperative that public health authorities act quickly to mitigate such an increase of evictions, which could increase the likelihood of new spikes in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Such mass evictions and the attendant public health consequences would be very difficult to reverse."