Overview
- U.S. District Judge Edward Chen left a prior injunction intact and set a March 20 hearing, preventing the city from fully clearing the Harrison Street encampment.
- Two dogs at the site tested positive in November and county-trapped rats also carried leptospirosis, marking the first such rat finding in Alameda County in five years.
- Berkeley’s health officer urged residents to relocate at least one-third of a mile so crews can decontaminate the area, warning that RVs with long-term rat infestations could be destroyed as irremediable biohazards.
- Officials say cleanup will take at least 30 days and require repeated baiting and carcass removal, with tents, refuse, RVs and standing water hindering access to rat nests.
- No human infections have been confirmed, but the investigation continues and residents are advised to vaccinate dogs and avoid contact with standing water and Codornices Creek.