Study Shows Increased COVID-19 Deaths from Power Shut-offs

A national moratorium on utility service shut-offs last year could have slowed the spread of COVID-19 and saved lives nationwide, according to a study published this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

"These policies were initially adopted as a response to financial hardship because of the pandemic, but what we find in this analysis is they're actually an effective intervention for stopping the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19," co-author Kay Jowers, a senior policy associate at the Nicholas Institute, told Energywire. "So it's benefiting us all."