SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — A major ruling was handed down Monday by the California court system regarding evictions during the current pandemic.

The Judicial Council, the body that creates policy for the state’s courts, has decided to ban residential evictions, with very few exceptions.

Normally, after someone has been hit with a court-ordered eviction summons they have five days to respond. That’s not the case anymore.

“Meaning that landlords can still file an eviction case but the tenant’s ticking timebomb of losing their home if they do get to the courthouse and file papers within five days is now put on pause,” said Sasha Harnden, who is a policy advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

Monday’s ruling also states that any eviction cases slated for court this month will not take place for at least the next 60 days.

Harnden said even though this new court ruling will affect those who were already on their way to an eviction, even before the current coronavirus pandemic hit the state, he believes it is still good for overall public health.

“What we are hearing from all of our public health officials right now is that everybody needs to shelter in place,” he told FOX40. “Everybody needs to stay home and protect themselves. If you don’t have a home, it’s very hard to do that.”

Sid Lakireddy, the president of the California Rental Housing Association, is telling property owners to be understanding with tenants but also take whatever money they can get now.

“I just want to put it out there that all property owners right now have an incentive to work with their residents,” Lakireddy said.

He said he is also hoping the state steps in to help renters and, in turn, help those who own the properties.

“For those renters who are on the precipice and having difficulty paying rent, a renters assistance fund administered by the state is what we are really pushing for because you can’t ask our industry to bear the entire weight either,” he said. “We will be bearing our fair share but everybody has to bear this burden.”

When it comes to the ban, a landlord can evict somebody if and only if they become a health or safety issue to the public.