Orkin is committed to protecting public health by helping prevent and control pests as well as educating consumers on the potential health risks posed by these pests.
COVID-19: CORONAVIRUS Update
Our COVID-19 Response Team continues to closely monitor updates and new information coming out from health and government officials. Under current guidelines, Orkin will continue to operate as it provides business-critical services to almost every industry identified as critical during COVID-19 by the federal government.
Our work is vital in the fight against coronavirus. The treatments we provide help keep pests out of the businesses working to support our nation during this time. From commercial facilities and production centers, to homes, hospitals and emergency facilities, we together as a community must all be doing our part to keep the focus on fighting this virus, not fighting common pests.
Our top priority will always be the health and safety of our employees and customers. We will continue to conduct services on the exterior of homes and businesses while continuing to implement preventative and precautionary measures across all of our branches with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). If inside service is critical, we are practicing social distancing to ensure the safety of everyone during the treatment.
Protecting Public Health at Home
Orkin’s longstanding partnership with the CDC has spawned multiple public health and educational initiatives involving pest-related health risks. Orkin and CDC have collaborated to produce educational materials like the hidden home threats checklist to help consumers prevent pest-related diseases in and around the home, and the Guide to Dangerous Pests brochure. Orkin and CDC also partner on annual “Train the Trainers” broadcasts, in which specialists from CDC educate hundreds of Orkin residential and commercial pest control technicians across the country on pest-related diseases. Find pest-specific disease information from CDC in Orkin’s Pest Library.
Protecting Public Health for Communities in Need
Orkin’s Ready Response Team – a group of 12 Orkin employees with a vast knowledge of pests, extensive training and years of experience in the pest control industry – grew out of the collaboration with CDC on how to provide optimal service while dealing with COVID-19. When health experts traced an Arizona community’s deadly outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever to a tick infestation, Orkin’s Ready Response Team mobilized immediately to provide free tick control services and educate community leaders on ways to avoid a future outbreak.
Following Hurricane Katrina, Orkin’s Ready Response Team treated nearly 100 flood-damaged homes in New Orleans for termite prevention and mold infestation in partnership with the National Center for Healthy Housing.