France: Paris suffering bedbug epidemic 10 months before the Olympics

Bedbugs have infested Paris. Since September, the French capital has been facing an epidemic of these small biting insects that hide in homes, seats and trains.

The situation is terrible for the hospitality industry and has triggered Parisians to call for government support. The Council of Paris, the French capital's governing body, led by socialist Anne Hidalgo, asked for the intervention and help of the national government, since there is a lot at stake: there are only 10 months left until the start of the 2024 Olympic Games.

Movie theaters and trains

The appearance of bedbugs began to be reported during the month of September in several public areas in the country. The news began with complaints from several Parisians who claimed to have seen bedbugs in the seats of several movie theaters in the French capital. It was soon confirmed, and the owners of different venues in the capital began to temporarily close their businesses. Social media users began to upload photos and images of the insects and their bites.

It was a matter of time before Parisians warned that bedbugs were also present on public transportation, including the Paris Métro, trains and buses. As with movie theaters, the inhabitants of Paris uploaded videos and photos to social media showing the creatures on the seats of the train. Despite this, the RATP, the Parisian public transport authority, assured this Tuesday that no trace of bedbugs was found following an inspection of the vehicles.

The opposition took the opportunity, however, to criticize the government and the socialists in the Council of Paris. Far-left Deputy Mathilde Panot, leader of La France Insoumise, showed a small jar containing several bedbugs in the National Assembly. "These little insects are sowing despair in our country," declared the deputy.

Rapid spread

While the focus seemed to be on Paris at first, it soon became clear that it was not the only city affected. A hospital in the province of Doubs, in Franche-Comté, closed part of its facilities after detecting bedbugs in several of its beds. Also in Marseille, a ferry connecting the city with Morocco was found full of the insects.

The insects reproduce at a high speed. According to French media outlets, they soon moved from public spaces to private homes. An extermination expert consulted by national television station BFMTV assures that his volume of work has increased in recent weeks. Hugues Wiplier, owner of a bedbug extermination company, claims that he received from 10 to around 30 calls a week to schedule home cleanings.

Terror in Paris

Paris is where the problem seems to be the worst, just 10 months before the start of the 2024 Olympic Games. Last week, Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire went to the central government to request help against the infestation. "It is urgent that the state brings together all the agents involved to implement an action plan commensurate with this scourge, when all of France prepares to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games," the socialist politician wrote in an open letter.

French authorities are right to be concerned. Getting rid of bedbug infestations can be a long and expensive process. According to experts, getting rid of bedbugs in a home or living space costs between $300 and $450 and requires a process that can last up to three or four months, depending on the severity of the problem. According to Libération, a French national newspaper that dedicated its front page last Sunday to bedbugs, exterminations cost French homes $247.3 million annually between 2017 and 2022.

For the 2024 Olympics, Paris will need all of its hospitality capacity to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of tourists and athletes who will flood the city in the summer. It is a race against the clock that is already affecting the hospitality sector in the French capital. A good number of American tourists have already shared unpleasant surprises they found between the sheets and pillows in their hotel rooms on social media. Unless France seriously gets to work, the 2024 Olympics will be no bed of roses.