Thousands of Massachusetts residents gained a new tool in the search for stable housing Monday, as a compromise between tenant advocates and the real estate lobby took effect allowing eligible tenants to have their past eviction records sealed.
Everyone entering a Massachusetts courthouse will be screened for COVID-19 when the buildings expand public access beginning July 13, the state’s high court said in an order issued Tuesday.
Courthouses in Massachusetts will reopen to the public on July 13 for limited purposes, with the courts continuing to conduct most business virtually.
The Massachusetts Housing Court has declared it will not hear any eviction cases until April 21, rendering moot a debate over eviction moratoriums during the coronavirus outbreak.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh returned to Beacon Hill on Tuesday to testify before one of his former committees on a bill that would direct the state to provide low-income tenants who are facing eviction with a court-appointed attorney for the eviction proceedings.
