New York City

NYC Rat Complaints Surge Above Pre-Pandemic Levels

NBC Universal, Inc.

As more New Yorkers try to get back to pre-pandemic routines after more than a year, so are their neighbors in the sewers.

According to New York City's 311, there were over 2,900 complaints about rodents in March. That's an 80% surge compared to last year when the city went into COVID-19 lockdown, Bloomberg first reported.

This year's complaints are also higher than they were in March 2019, when there were 2,395 reports about rats.

When the pandemic closed down restaurants, the rodents' food sources were also taken away. Now that restaurants and businesses have started to reopen, the creatures have also returned.

That was evident last summer when restaurants opened outdoor seating. New Yorkers may just have to continue to deal with them.

In response to rising complaints, an NYC Health Department spokesperson told Bloomberg, “Rodents are a quality of life issue and the NYC Health Department works with communities to help them mitigate rodent issues.”

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