Paris' residents are speaking out about the bedbug infestation in the city. The bugs have recently been spotted in public spaces such as transport and movie theaters.
Angèle Lalande said that she "cries a lot" because of the bedbugs in France.
"It pushes us to the limit. We no longer have a normal life at all," she told BFM TV. "We no longer dare to go to people's houses, we have completely isolated ourselves from the outside world."
The bedbug problem is so severe it is being treated as a public health crisis. The government created a global action plan extending until 2024 to fight against the massive spread of bedbugs in France's housing. However, the insect problem spread beyond people's home and has been highlighted by social media users in gyms and movie theaters. In May, it was reported that a hospital had a bedbug infestation.
"It’s a never-ending nightmare, I no longer have a life," said one woman.
Another resident said that he feels like a "plague victim." The resident – who used to love hosting parties – no longer invites people into his apartment.
"We restrict ourselves a lot when it happens to us. Even if the risk of carrying it is low, as soon as we go out in a public place we think about it," he said.
The infestation was of particular concern since Paris will be hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics. There was 64% increase in bedbug interventions over the summer in comparison to the same time period in 2022, according to radio network France Info.
Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne called an emergency meeting of ministers on Friday to tackle the bedbug crisis. The country's transport minister, Clement Beaune, will create a plan to monitor and disinfect and to try to ease what has been described as a national psychosis surrounding the issue.
"It’s hell, these bedbugs," Beaune told reporters, while clarifying: "There is no resurgence of cases."
There were 37 cases were reported in the bus and Metro system and a dozen others on trains however those claims proved unfounded as did viral videos of the tiny creatures supposedly burrowing in the seat of a train.
While the suspected spike in cases proved false, removing bedbugs can be problematic as they can remain dormant for extended periods of time and can stay alive for a year without a meal.
Now, President Emmanuel Macron and the country’s lawmakers want to propose bills to fight bedbugs. Far-left lawmaker Mathilde Panot recently brought a vial of bedbugs to the Parliament to chastise the government for, as she explained, letting the creatures run rampant.
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