A rise in the omicron variant of Covid among city workers followed by Monday’s snowstorm are being blamed for delays and cancellation of Department of Public Works services in Baltimore today.

“The city’s alleyways are expected to remain quite slick, and any melting precipitation will refreeze overnight,” DPW said in a press release last night. “These conditions make the collection of trash and recycling difficult for sanitation workers.”

The release pointed out that removing snow in alleys and sidewalks “are the responsibility of the resident or the business owner,” implying that trash collections will not be attempted in uncleared alleyways.

Services cancelled on Tuesday include street sweeping, alley cleaning, graffiti removal, waterway cleaning and the Rat Rubout program.

UPDATE: Regular trash and recycling collections will be made today, although likely delayed, said DPW spokesperson Jennifer Combs.

Recycling Woes

Today’s cancellation will add to last week’s service disruptions when post-holiday recycling was never collected in scores of city neighborhoods, ranging from Upper Park Heights to Greektown and Morrell Park.

DPW said on Friday that pickups would resume on this week’s normal collection schedule. A year ago in January, DPW reinstituted recycling after a four-month gap in service.

Residential drop-off centers will be open today for recyclable trash.