The pandemic shutdowns are not only leaving Americans angry if not hungry. Rats, too, are proving more aggressive in their scrounging for scraps with restaurants shuttered.
"Jurisdictions have closed or limited service at restaurants and other commercial establishments to help limit the spread of COVID-19. Rodents rely on the food and waste generated by these establishments," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Community-wide closures have led to a decrease in food available to rodents, especially in dense commercial areas.
"Some jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity as rodents search for new sources of food. Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to rodents and reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior."
Rodents are a health risk, whether or not they are aggressive, carrying rodent-borne diseases. With rats on the hunt, populations are going to move into residential areas more and more, per the CDC.
"Preventive actions include sealing up access into homes and businesses, removing debris and heavy vegetation, keeping garbage in tightly covered bins, and removing pet and bird food from their yards," the CDC advised.
The pandemic might reduce the rodent population some, but the return to business for restaurants might subsequently create a rodent boom, the CDC warns.
"After natural disasters like hurricanes, communities often experience a decline in rodent populations, followed by an increase in rodent populations as commercial activity returns to normal," the CDC website advised. "Environmental health programs should continue rodent monitoring and control activities after these events."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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