2023-09-30 10:20:05
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Biting insects are spreading quickly, especially in Paris. Politicians are calling on the government to come up with an action plan against the plague.
In France, an invasion of bed bugs is attracting media attention – and is now also a concern for the government. It all started during the summer holidays when there was a stir about bedbugs in a Paris cinema. After a visitor to the newspaper The Parisian When she described how she came out of the theater with her back full of bites, the UGC cinema chain felt compelled to apologize.
Bed bug detectives
The bugs appear everywhere people are and they are being fought. Hot steam is used and a dog that specializes in insects then inspects the rooms, it said. Reports on the unpleasant topic, including photos of bed bugs under the magnifying glass, have now apparently turned some of the population into veritable bed bug detectives.
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State railway relies on disinfection
The French state railway SNCF also has a bug issue. Alleged bugs are reported on social media, including shaky video images. “Ten or 15 minutes before arriving in Lille-Flandres, I noticed a little beetle running around on the seat,” said passenger Irina, describing her journey on the TGV high-speed train to BFMTV. “I wondered if maybe it was a bed bug. I filmed it and sent it to two friends who confirmed it to me.” A young passenger also posted a suspected bug from a train from Marseille to Paris.
The SNCF does not want to know anything about a bedbug problem, but reassures in a statement: “This is a risk for which we are particularly vigilant, we take every report seriously and no risks are being taken,” said the SNCF. The trains would be consistently disinfected with an eye on insects.
Paris Metro also affected
Last Wednesday there was a bug report from the heart chamber of capital life, the Paris metro. A driver on line 8 was sure that he had discovered one of the parasites in the driver’s cab. The RATP transport company reported that the train had been taken out of service, but no bugs had actually been found on the train or other means of transport.
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Action plan for Olympics called for
But the city administration, the union and politicians had long since become involved. “The state must urgently bring together all concerned stakeholders to develop an action plan that can deal with this scourge as the whole of France prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024,” wrote the first deputy of the Paris mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. In view of the bugs, you don’t need to fall into psychosis, but you do have to face the problem, said the local politician in a TV interview.
With regard to public transport, Transport Minister Clément Beaune addressed the bug issue on Friday. Beaune said he would discuss the measures taken to serve travelers with the transport companies next week. It’s about reassuring and protecting people.
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