PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — A week after a bat was first sighted inside of the building, workers at Rhode Island’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) are set to return to the office Monday.
A DCYF official tells NBC 10 that the building at 101 Friendship Street will reopen on Monday.
Based on an investigation, experts from the Rhode Island Department of Health and wildlife specialists believe the bat got into the building accidentally Sunday night.
While the building was closed, people who normally worked in the building worked remotely.
A few days later, another bat was sighted in the building on Friday, August 22.
DCYF hired a pest control team to safely remove the bat and search the building to make sure no other bats were in the building.
The cleaning crew employed by DCYF did a thorough cleaning of all open spaces, light fixtures, air diffusers, door frames, and trash receptacles to get the building ready for staff to return.
Matthew Gunnip, the President of SEIU Local 580, said he is deeply concerned about the health and safety of union members working at the building, criticizing the mixed messaging delivered by DCYF officials about the building being secure even with the second bat sighting on Friday.
In emails obtained by NBC 10, Gunnip sent DCYF leadership emails featuring pictures of a union member showing skin irritation from working in the building.