Gov. David Ige issued a fifth emergency proclamation on Friday that includes a moratorium on evictions of tenants who fail to pay their rent.

The order came amid pressure from community members who feared the state would be flooded by evictions and homelessness if preventative action wasn’t taken. The Honolulu City Council unanimously voted this week to ask Ige to institute a moratorium on residential and commercial evictions as well as homeowner foreclosures.

However, the order, which expires on April 30, is largely moot. Evictions were already effectively halted by the closure of state courts through the end of this month as well as the department of public safety’s refusal to enforce evictions.

Despite court closures, landlords can already electronically file for eviction. If courts reopen on May 1 and Ige doesn’t extend his proclamation, those cases could start to be processed.

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