Am I allowed to ask potential tenants if they ever stopped paying

[Cory Melious]

I have received an incredibly high amount of interest in my 2 bedroom, fairly basic apartment.

One thought I've wondered to myself is if some of these interested people are facing an eviction now that the moratorium is ending. I'm not sure if NY state has continued their moratorium since the CDC kind of took over that role.

Is it legal/wise/an option to ask tenants straight up if they ever stopped paying rent to their prior landlord during the economic shutdown?

This property is located in upstate NY FWIW.