A UN rights expert called for governments to ban evictions until the Covid-19 pandemic ends, warning the number of people being expelled from their homes was rising globally, AFP reported.

Warning of an impending “tsunami” of evictions, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the United Nations' top expert on the right to housing, stressed that “losing your home during this pandemic could mean losing your life”.

The independent expert, who is appointed by the UN but does not speak on its behalf, stressed that “the right to housing is central to any response to the pandemic”.