Taipei conducting 5-day cleaning drive to counter 'rat problem'

Taipei, May 11 (CNA) Taipei will continue a cleaning and sanitation drive across the city's 12 administrative districts this week to combat concerns about recent rat sightings, the city government said.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Taipei City government said a large-scale cleaning drive that began last Friday in Zhongshan District will be expanded to other city districts from Monday through Thursday.

Sanitation work will focus on Datong, Wanhua and Zhongzheng districts on Monday, and on Nangang, Wenshan and Neihu districts on Tuesday, the city government said.

The drive will continue Wednesday in Songshan, Daan and Xinyi districts, before concluding Thursday in Shilin and Beitou districts, it added.

The city government said the sanitation drive will be carried out by teams of disinfection and sanitation workers, as well as by local volunteers, who will focus on cleaning parks and clearing debris piled up in alleys.

During the clean-up, sightings of live and dead rats will inevitably increase. To remove dead rats, residents should wear gloves, seal them in bags and dispose of them as regular waste, and then disinfect the area with a 1:9 bleach-water solution, the city government said.

What is this in response to?

Taipei's city-wide cleaning drive follows recent social media posts reporting rat sightings, which have raised public concern.

It appears to have started with a Threads post in late April, in which a user blamed Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) for a rat that allegedly entered her home in Zhongshan District and bit her sleeping mother.

While some Taipei residents say they have noticed more rats recently, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said there is currently no indication of increased disease risk.

CDC data shows Taiwan recorded 45 hantavirus cases nationwide since 2017, with two cases reported so far this year, in line with recent years.

The issue has, however, taken on a political relevance as candidates test out campaign messages ahead of Taiwan's Nov. 28 local elections.