They ruled the Big Apple during COVID-19 lockdowns, but it came with a price. The COVID-19 pandemic, while horrible for most people, was the New York rat’s moment in the sun. With pesky foot traffic locked away in houses, then food crumbs galore from the move to outdoor dining, the rodents danced—in park grasses, trash alleys, and even out onto the typically treacherous streets, where the risk of being flattened by a car had effectively vanished.