Rats shut down Jamaica school

(Jamaica Observer) Administrators at the Calabar High School at Red Hills Road in St Andrew were forced to close down operations yesterday due to a serious rat infestation problem.

The school will be closed until Monday as school officials try to control the overwhelming rodent population.

“The rats are all over the school. They are big, bad and bold and pose a serious health risk to students and teachers alike,” a student of the school told the Observer.

Some 1,800 students are educated at the institution.

Residents of Parkland Drive, Three Views Avenue and surrounding communities have long complained that rats have taken over their neighbourhoods and called on the state to come to their assistance.

“This situation is a serious public health issue. We need a sustained effort to get rid of these pests who spread all kinds of diseases. It makes no sense some people set poison and others don’t as those rats who don’t get poisoned will simply migrate to the homes that have eradicated their rats,” Mark Watson, a resident of the area said.