The CVS on Linden Street in Wellesley has been ordered by the town’s Health Department to stop selling food until it gets a mice problem under control.
Store shelves where food usually sits were empty when we swung by on Tuesday, and signs read in part “We are unable to sell food products at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
No mention of mice was made on the signs. But recent social media posts and a fresh phone call about a mouse problem at the store got the Health Department’s attention, and it followed up. Easter candy was among the delicacies favored by the rodents, per social media posts.
“Yesterday two of our inspectors visited the Linden store to follow up on a call we received in the morning and found that the situation had not improved,” writes Lenny Izzo, director of community and public health for the town. “We ordered them to discontinue food sales, increase pest control services and clean all impacted fixtures and surfaces.”
Adam DiPersio, Wellesley’s senior environmental health specialist, added that the town would be having an inspector return to CVS this afternoon to make sure the store was complying with a cease and desist order. He wrote: “We will be communicating with both CVS and their pest control provider to make sure proper corrective actions are being taken, and we will continue to communicate and have CVS communicate with us to get this mitigated as soon as possible. I would like to say that CVS is and has been very cooperative with us up to this point and they are working diligently to get this corrected.”
We somehow forgot to look to see if CVS was selling mouse traps.
You might be wondering about neighboring Roche Bros., as did we. Izzo wrote: “After leaving CVS, [our staff] did meet with the Roche Bros. Store manager to discuss the situation, review pest control reports and spot check the store. Fortunately they are not having similar mouse issues.”
Not to pile on, but reports this week (including from the Boston Globe) say that CVS Health plans to lay off more than 180 employees who report to its Wellesley office (almost all work remotely). A notice was filed with the state in late February.
Thanks to a Swellesley reader for mentioning the empty store shelves to us last night. That’s how we crowdsource, Wellesley.
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