PEOPLE eating outside in NYC are reportedly being interrupted by hungry rats as restaurant owners beg officials for help.
The flailing industry is trying to get back to business by offering outdoor dining to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in New York City.
Starving "cannibal rats" became increasingly aggressive in their hunt for food during the lockdown back in May, prompting a grim CDC advisory.
Now, a new public health issue has emerged as people flock to the city's open-air eateries – but it's attracted a lot of unwanted rodent guests.
Giacomo Romano, the owner of an Italian restaurant called Ciccio, told NBC New York how one customer was confronted with a rat over in an outdoor dining area.
"Last night, a customer had a baby rat running on his shoe and I let you just imagine his reaction," the SoHo businessman said.
Romano said the pests are coming to his establishment via the nearby Father Fagan Park.
People eat takeout and enjoy picnics at this nearby beauty spot, which only has one single trash can and is home to several rats.
"There are a lot of new holes in the ground covered by the plants," Romano said
He contacted city leaders pleading for help with the increasingly brazen rodents.
Likewise, a barber shop owner called Pasquale Giacobbe also begged officials to intervene after reopening his business on the same street.
"I already don't have the help from the state, no loans from nobody. At least they can come do something, for all the tax we pay," he told NBC.
NYC's Phase 2 reopening commended on June 22, which allowed outdoor dining, patio seating, and tables being set up in parking areas.
In popular parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, restaurant owners who don't have restaurant seating have lined the sidewalks with tables.
Phase 2 started on Monday and was supposed to include limited indoor dining, but Mayor Bill de Blasio said this stage was put on hold.
De Blasio said it wouldn't be happening for "a substantial amount of time" as the coronavirus pandemic continues to pummel other parts of the country.
On Thursday, he also canceled large events which would need a city permit through September.
"As New York has begun its reopening process, accessible open spaces are more important than ever," de Blasio said.
"While it pains me to call off some of the city's beloved events, our focus now must be the prioritization of city space for public use and the continuation of social distancing."
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As well as the rodent furore, the mayor acknowledged the impact of bad weather on hard-hit NYC restaurants on Friday as rain drenched the city.
"Tonight's not going to be a great night for outdoor dining and get your furniture and umbrellas and everything in so they don't go flying away and creating any kind of danger," he told reporters.
The Sun contacted the mayor's office for comment.
