France Education minister Gbriel Attal while speaking on Friday, disclosed that seven schools were closed indefinitely because of the rising concerns over the Infestation of bedbugs.
While speaking to France 5 Television, the minister said, “Bedbugs were detected at various levels in ….. I believe 17 institutions, and currently as I speak to you, seven institutions are closed for this reason.”
The French government has held a series of meetings this week to examine surging numbers of reported bedbug cases at a time when France is hosting the Rugby World Cup and preparing to host the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Speaking to AFP on Friday, the Education Ministry revealed that five schools with a population of 1,500 learners had been closed.
Earlier this week, authorities announced that two schools, one in Marseille and the other in Villefranche-sur-Saone outside Lyon in southeastern France had been shut down for cleaning.
Further, Attack noted that there was need to arrest the issue see soonest. He went ahead and revealed that the France government has contracted ‘Approved and Recognized’ companies in collaboration with the Health Ministry and regional health agencies.
“We have almost 60,000 institutions and we’re only talking about a few dozen here, but it’s true that cases are piling up. An immediate response is needed, so that we can have institutions treated within 24 hours.” Attal said.
A municipal library in the northern city of Amiens is due to reopen on Saturday after being closed for several days after bedbugs were detected in public reading spaces. According to the city’s mayor Brigitte Foure, a sniffer dog found no trace of the pests after the library was treated.
One-tenth of all French households are believed to have had a bedbug problem over the past few years, usually requiring a pest control operation costing several hundred euros which often needs to be repeated.
The blood-sucking insects have been spotted in the Paris metro, high-speed trains and at Paris’s Charles De Gaulle Airport.
But the individual cases have not been confirmed by the authorities and RMC TV reported that a probe by Paris transport operator RATP had found no bedbugs on its services.
