A Walgreens in San Francisco’s Noe Valley area was temporarily shut down recently due to a “severe rat infestation,” SF Gate reported Friday.
The location was not scheduled to reopen until it was able to pass inspection, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
The report continued:
Inspectors visited the store at 1333 Castro, near 24th Street, on Nov. 8, and ordered immediate closure of the store due to “imminent health hazards that could not be immediately corrected.” A report from the inspector noted that food was “contaminated and/or adultered” by vermin on the sales floor and in an upstairs storage area.
“Observed containers of noodles, flour and other food products gnawed and with vermin droppings on and around them,” the report said. Droppings were found on the sales floor, on shelves, on and around food products and on top of storage area, the report said. One dead rat was spotted on a glue trap.
Officials said the store will remain closed until the health hazard has abated and the building is reinspected.
“The department is requiring the store to hire a licensed pest control operator, clean and sanitize affected areas, seal all holes and gaps and install traps,” the SF Gate article read.
There were no similar violations reported at the location during the previous five years, the department noted.
“This is the only Walgreens in San Francisco currently closed because of an infestation,” according to the SF Gate article.
Video footage taken outside the store showed a sign that read, “Due to technical difficulties, we are closed until further notice”:
The Walgreens at 1333 Castro Street in SF is closed until further notice.
A sign taped outside the store reads it is closed due to technical difficulties.
But SFDPH tells @kron4news the site is shut down because of “rodent infestation and food adulteration.” pic.twitter.com/C3W9X0KHPi
— Camila Barco (@cbarcotv) November 13, 2021
Meanwhile, the ongoing shoplifting surge forced Walgreens to close five additional San Francisco stores as law enforcement did almost nothing to curb the problem, Breitbart News reported in October.
“Shoplifting has skyrocketed in San Francisco recently, likely a result of Proposition 47, which dictates stealing would not be a felony in California if the item stolen did not exceed $950,” the outlet said.
In Orkin’s list of top ten rattiest cities, San Francisco ranked number five, with Chicago coming in at number one.
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