Coronavirus pandemic dominates PMP’s coverage in 2020

Wow, what a year it’s been! The coronavirus dominated news coverage in 2020, in the national media and at Pest Management Professional (PMP) magazine.

PMP’s editorial team stepped up from the beginning to bring pest management professionals (PMPs) the latest COVID-19-related news.

PHOTO: ROMOLOTAVANI/ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS/GETTY IMAGES

It all started in March, shortly after the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) held its annual Legislative Day event in Washington, D.C., on March 9-11. After several days of committee meetings, networking opportunities and educational sessions, PMPs traveled to Capitol Hill to meet their state representatives to discuss regulatory issues related to the pest control industry. This year, however, many offices on Capitol Hill implemented no-handshake policies as news of the coronavirus pandemic spread. Turns out PMPs were among the last groups permitted to meet with their representatives, as the next day – March 12 — Capitol Hill closed to the public. Traveling through two nearly-deserted airports on the way home from Washington, D.C., hinted at what was to come.

A week later, as state and local shelter-in-place and stay-at-home mandates went into effect, PMP’s publisher and editorial director, Marty Whitford, issued a statement assuring readers the editorial team would “continue to share ideas and information to keep businesses moving forward.”

The NPMA jumped into action, advocating for pest control to be declared an essential business to allow PMPs to continue working as many other businesses closed. On March 19, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a “Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During the COVID-19 Response” that confirmed pest control is an essential industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

From then on, PMP’s editors relied on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the latest information on COVID-19, such as how to limit the spread of the virus and ways to stay safe; and the NPMA for new developments affecting the pest control industry, including how to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) and effective ways to communicate with customers.

Despite the challenges the coronavirus presented, and a quick check of the headlines on PMP’s COVID-19 page shows there were many, many PMP’s ended the year on a positive note. It may not have seemed possible at first, but many met or exceeded their 2020 revenue projections.

As you welcome 2021, rest assured PMP will continue to update its COVID-19 news page to bring you developments that may affect your pest control business. On behalf of PMP’s editorial team, thank you for turning to the industry’s leading technical journal since 1933 for the information you need to make critical decisions on the job. Here’s to a prosperous – and uneventful – new year!