Customer and staff safety first

On Friday 20th March which was 3 days ahead of a UK-wide lockdown, in light of a looming danger of Covid-19 pandemic as observed on international news and the WHO website, I decided to suspend all call-outs to our customers' premises, including pre-scheduled follow-up inspections and service visits for the safety of our customers and staff as a preventive measure against the potential spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19). A ''Covid-19 warning'' has been displayed since on the website, pointing to an article featuring updates on our blog.

All call-outs and follow-up visits temporarily suspended

During last week I have answered many enquiries from businesses as well as households based in Glasgow and Ayrshire that have been in need of professional pest control to help control rat and mouse infestations have occurred in their kitchens and stores. Notably, there have been several ''key workers'' like NHS staff and ''essential'' businesses like food production/processing and grocery stores among the requests I have had to turn down for call-outs but offered them over-the-phone pest control advice only. I am sincerely sorry but it has been so for everyone's safety.

Call-outs for essential pest control will be available

At Czechmate Pest Control (Czm8), we obey by the UK and Scottish governments rules have been communicated to businesses and to the public as well as we take advice and recommendations to pest control professionals ref. Covid-19 pandemic from the BPCA (British Pest Control Association). It is a known fact that certain pests, whether insect or rodents, may carry serious diseases that are transferrable to humans, such as gastroenteritis and salmonella from cockroaches and mice or rat-bite fever, typhus or (potentially fatal) Weil's disease from rats. While novel coronavirus is a real threat can affect yours as well as everyone else's wellbeing and health at this stage of a pandemic, insect and rodent-borne diseases are another health-threat to individuals as well as to the wider public that ought not to be underestimated. If your home or your business (that is open because it provides essential services to the public during Covid-19 pandemic) suffer from a pest infestation, we can help you to control rodents and insects in the areas we cover - Greater Glasgow and Ayrshire. While I recommend you to now postpone certain visits such as would be for pest prevention, surveys for audits etc, I do not recommend you to delay professional pest control service for the pests are classed ''public health'' pests such as rats, mice and cockroaches. It also is a part of ''essential'' pest management to control biting insects such as fleas and bedbugs in residential properties.

Extra health & safety measures are being applied during current Covid-19 pandemic for essential & emergency pest control call-outs

At the moment we are redrawing a new risk assessment to reflect on the new risk posed by Covid-19 virus as well as I approached the UK and Scottish public authorities for further advice. If you request emergency/essential pest control service for your home or business in Greater Glasgow or Ayrshire we will carry-out an extra 5-step risk assessment (ref. Covid-19 provided by BPCA) with you over the phone, prior to our technicians' visit. While there will be no extra costs for our emergency call-outs during Covid-19 to be met by our customers, there are going to be an (estimated) charge of about £10 – 20 per visit to cover extra PPE such as respirators, shoe covers, disposable coveralls, disinfection etc. Unless the current situation does not change significantly, first visits for essential pest control services will be available from this Thursday 2 April onward.

FREE expert pest control advice in Scotland, essential & emergency pest Control in Greater Glasgow and Ayrshire

If you are not sure whether your pest problem is ''essential'' to warrant our visit, feel free to contact us for FREE advice.

Our helplines for free pest control advice, quotes and other queries about our rodent and insect control services, plus about mole catcher are 01294 689903 and 07407 217880.

Follow-up Inspections

If we have missed a follow-up inspection of your home (or of business premises) last week (because of Covid-19) after a rodent control treatment, we are aware of it and will be contacting you soon, in due time, to arrange an alternative appointment for the visit. There will not be any charge to our customers to cover extra costs of additional PPE (due Covid-19 pandemic) on the follow-up inspections for (rodent) jobs were attented for treatment before 20 March.

Please return later to check for further updates about Covid-19 pandemic and the status of our pest control services respectively.