Sonoma County supervisors took action Tuesday to alleviate some short-term fears surrounding the burgeoning economic fallout from the coronavirus, unanimously approving a measure that seeks to protect tenants countywide from eviction during the emergency. 

The move is the first by county supervisors to address the deepening financial toll of the pandemic and the strict measures put in place to slow its spread. 

With nonessential businesses shuttered, and many others doing just a fraction of their normal business as a result of shelter-in-place orders and social distancing rules, some economists are predicting 20%  unemployment nationally, and California had already seen a 43% jump in unemployment claims before shelter-in-place orders took effect last week. 

The dire situation required immediate action, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said Tuesday, during the Board of Supervisors meeting.