Taipei: 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 announced that a large-scale cleaning drive, which began last Friday in Zhongshan District, will be expanded to other city districts from Monday through Thursday.

According to Focus Taiwan, sanitation work will focus on Datong, Wanhua, and Zhongzheng districts on Monday, and on Nangang, Wenshan, and Neihu districts on Tuesday. The drive will continue Wednesday in Songshan, Daan, and Xinyi districts, before concluding Thursday in Shilin and Beitou districts. The city government stated that the sanitation effort will involve teams of disinfection and sanitation workers, along with local volunteers, concentrating on cleaning parks and clearing debris from alleys.

The city government also mentioned that during the clean-up, sightings of live and dead rats will likely increase. Residents are advised to wear gloves when handling dead rats, seal them in bags for disposal as regular waste, and disinfect the area with a 1:9 bleach-water solution. This city-wide cleaning initiative follows recent social media posts reporting rat sightings, which have sparked public concern.

The situation appears to have gained attention after a Threads post in late April, where a user accused Mayor Chiang Wan-an of negligence after a rat allegedly entered her home in Zhongshan District and bit her sleeping mother. While some Taipei residents claim they have noticed more rats recently, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated there is currently no indication of increased disease risk. CDC data show Taiwan recorded 45 hantavirus cases nationwide since 2017, with two cases reported so far this year, maintaining consistency with recent years.

The rat issue has gained political significance as candidates prepare their campaign messages ahead of Taiwan's local elections on Nov. 28.