The international pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus which originated in the Wuhan Province of China in late 2019 has caused global disruption on a level not seen in living memory. For the majority of people the disease causes either moderate or no symptoms but for a small minority respiratory failure and death is likely. As a result the government has issued guidance to limit transmission of this surprisingly contagious disease by modifying our behaviour and limiting our contact with each other as well as situations which can lead to transmission of the disease.
Can Pest Controllers Continue To Work During The Coronavirus Outbreak?
Many people are wondering whether pest controllers can continue to work during the coronavirus outbreak. There are concerns from both the industry and the public that if the activities of pest controllers are limited then there could be surge in rodent activity leading to the spread of disease, damage to infrastructure and suffering of homeowners. An increase in stockpiling of food by the British public could increase the availability of food for rats and mice, compounding the problem. Rodents are renowned for damaging infrastructure, as well as spreading disease. Chewing wires and essential components of food distribution vehicles could compromise an already damaged supply chain, limiting access to essential items.
The current government guidance can be found here; https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/. It states that 'Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus. You should only leave the house for 1 of 4 reasons', one of which is 'travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home'. Thankfully this means that pest controllers can still visit sites as this needs to be done in order to make assessments and implement pest control solutions. This clearly cannot be performed from home.
Measures recommended by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are;
Social Distancing
Current guidelines can be found here;https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults
Look after yourselves and each other.
Dr Toby Bateson, MD of Hammer Technologies