LYNN — City Sanitarian Lisa Tobin said food establishments in Lynn should be prepared to take further measures to prevent pest infestation following the closure of four convenience stores over the past two months.
These four stores, which Tobin declined to name publicly, were shut down by the city due to mice infestation. While she said warmer weather typically results in the appearance of more mice, she said these infestations in the city are happening more frequently this year.
“I think it’s because of the pandemic,” said Tobin. “People got a little bit lax and they haven’t been able to keep up with sanitation to make sure that everything is clean.”
The problem has also been exacerbated by the toll the pandemic has taken on the staffing in extermination businesses, Tobin said.
“I met with an exterminator the other day and he said a lot of staff were sick with COVID-19,” said Tobin. “If you don’t have exterminators come in and check the establishment, you’re likely to see an increase in pests.”
Tobin said the four establishments were shut down due to safety concerns, particularly to ensure the well-being of children coming into the stores and to prevent patrons from eating contaminated food.
She said the convenience stores were reopened within 24 hours of their respective closures. No other food establishments have been shut down due to infestation since, she said.
Tobin sent out an email on Tuesday to city restaurants and food establishments to alert them about the closures. She reminded business owners to follow their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan, which is a broad-based approach that integrates practices for economic control for pests. One such mitigation measure is to check dumpsters for pests, she said.
“Having IPM alone is not sufficient,” Tobin wrote in the email. “You must follow the recommendations of your chosen pest-control company. You must clean your shelves and look for signs of pest activity.”
As the city’s sanitarian, Tobin said she collaborates with restaurants and other food establishments on a daily basis to enforce sanitation guidelines and answer questions that staff and owners may have.
“We make sure that the establishments have their IPMs and I send blast emails to remind them to follow the management when these things happen,” said Tobin. “We make sure that they check their food, their food wrappers, and (are) proactive in handling these outbreaks.”
While the number of infestations have increased of late, Tobin said there was not a large amount of mice, and they were not the worst outbreaks she has seen during her time as the city’s sanitarian.
“This is not uncommon and it’s not that big of an infestation,” said Tobin. “In 2015, there was a basement of a restaurant we went to and it was a mess. The installation had rodent droppings everywhere and we had to shut it down immediately.”
Tobin said food establishments will likely be more proactive with mitigation measures as COVID-19 cases continue to drop, and customers begin to feel more comfortable visiting restaurants and stores again. As a result, she expects infestations to decrease.
