The City Council on Tuesday, March 24, will weigh an emergency ordinance banning evictions for not paying rent because of issues related to the novel coronavirus.

The ordinance, if approved, would be retroactive to March 4 — the day Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

The council will also weigh whether to suspend termination of housing assistance payments from the city for any reason between March 4 and May 31.

The teleconference meeting starts at 4:30 p.m. and is a joint meeting with the Housing Authority.

The council initially OK’d both items meeting last week. The council voted unanimously then to move ahead with a slate of regulations to help residents weather the storm unfolding as nightclubs, bars, theaters, bowling alleys, arcades and gyms have been ordered to close in accordance with state and county guidance to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

If the eviction ban passes, tenants who can’t pay their rent must notify their landlords of that and provide documentation as to why. Tenants would have until Nov. 30 to pay the rent they owe, but landlords would not be allowed to charge late fees.

The ordinance would go into effect at midnight Wednesday, March 25.

“The idea is to limit movement,” District 9 Councilman Rex Richardson said last week. “You can’t shelter in place if you don’t have shelter.”