A closed Walgreens is like a closed heart, a closed mind. Nothing good can come from it. All is bleak. All is lost. Sadly, that's just what had to happen for several harrowing hours on Friday in Chinatown.
Walgreens on Stockton Street near Vallejo Street, along with Mee Mee Bakery, popular fortune cookie factory, were forced to close temporarily after vermin were discovered on the premises. On Thursday, a health inspector checked Mee Mee and Walgreen, saw some mice, and labeled both places a health risk, shutting them down in the process.
Customers and Chinatown residents are livid. ABC 7 has more:
"You can smell the rat infestation in there and I've mentioned it to management before at Walgreens and nothings ever done," said customer Jeffrey Bilbrey."Every store is so closely populated, okay, there's no way you can clean up the rats or the cockroaches. You know you clean one place, they go to next store then they come back again eventually," Bilbrey said.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health insists the infestation is limited to mice.
No matter what kind of rodent it is Kam Hui now refuses to eat in Chinatown.
"I used to eat a lot in Chinatown, but I stay away from the restaurant business," he said.
"I'm sure the mice are not in my bag of fortune cookies, nor the mice droppings," said Mee Mee Bakery customer Edward Weiner.
After some much-needed sanitization and cleaning, both establishments were allowed to reopen later that day. It should be pointed out, however, that rat sightings are now on rise following the Central Subway digging. (Do mice and rats mingle with one another? Or is there someone sort of vermin hierarchy that shan't be crossed? Someone please chime in.)
