SCRIPT: BUSINESS MEETING

Business meeting begins - welcome and introduction

Chair (Minister of Economy): Good morning Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to
this meeting on the Bed buds crisis management.
It ‘s 11 o’clock, let’s start the meeting.
You all have seen the agenda. Our goal today is to develop a strategy to address the bed bug
infestation in Paris.
I am Lea Lacuve, the minister of economy since may 2023. I am here to Provide an economic
analysis of the crisis, allocate the budget for every minister to respond to this crisis. I'll now
invite each minister to introduce themselves briefly and outline their role in the government.
Please, Minister of transport could you begin

Ministers introduce themselves and their roles

Minister of Transport (Mathilde) : Good morning everyone, I am really happy to meet you all
today to talk together about the crisis we are going through. I am the minister of Transport,
Mathilde Sanchez, and I’m in charge of the proper operation of public transport. I represent the
users and my principal objective is to protect them and offer the best service we can.
Minister of Culture: (Augustin) : Good morning to you all, it's a real honor to be with you today
to discuss such an important subject. My name is Augustin Lang, and I'm Minister of Culture and
Sport. I'm in charge of promoting French culture by supporting creators and artists. My aim is to
democratize culture for all French citizens.
Minister for Health (Camille) : Good morning everyone, my name is Camille Rousseau,
Minister for Health and Prevention. My role is to develop and implement rules relating to health
protection policy against the various health risks that could affect the population.

Discussion moves forward with 1st agenda item:

Evaluation of Bed Bugs in Paris

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Now that we have introduced ourselves and our roles, let's move
on to the first agenda item: the evaluation of bed bugs in Paris.
Minister of Transport, please provide us with an update on the bed bug situation in public
transportation.
Minister of Transport: Yes of course. The bed bug invasion had a direct impact on our transport
sector. Since September 2023, la SNCF reported 37 cases and the RATP about 40 cases.
However, only a few of them were real cases of infection. These increases in reports indicate
though that the presence of bed bugs starts to be important, particularly in public places. These
incidents happened in public transportation, including trains, buses, and airports.
Since the beginning of the infection, French people seem really concerned about the situation.
Many users shared on twitter, Instagram or even Tik Tok, photos and videos in the metro and
train, where you can see bed bugs. This kind of content creates a real feeling of psychosis and
anxiety, creating a real movement with “hashtag BedBugs, hashtag ParisInfection” being in top
trend for more than 3 weeks consecutively.
Moreover, people just criticize the way we maintain and clean the public transportation, and feel
that they could be invested at any time.
In a survey, recently published by the journal “Le Monde”, 63% of users of public transportation
feel that public transportation is dirty and non-well maintained, and it’s for this reason that bed
bugs are spreading.
Do you realize that many people just stopped to take a seat in the bus to not be infected?? That’s
a crazy situation.

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Thank you, Minister of Transport. Minister of Culture, could you
shed some light on the extent of bed bug infestations in theaters and cultural venues and how it's
impacting the cultural sector?

Minister of Culture:
For several weeks now, emblematic sites of French culture have been described as infested with
bedbugs, thus tarnishing France's image abroad. This is a problem, given that cultural activities
also have a knock-on effect on the rest of the economy to the tune of 46.7 billion euros, thanks in
particular to induced activities such as the materials used, rents and electricity. In total, the
contribution of culture to the economy, including these knock-on effects, represents 5.8% of
GDP, or 104.5 billion euros. It is therefore crucial that the bedbug problem be resolved quickly,
in the interests of France.
In cultural infrastructures, we're seeing an upsurge in bedbug cases. We can see this because
disinfection companies are more in demand today than ever before. Moreover, bedbugs are not a
pleasant sight. It can considerably degrade certain performances, and weaken certain audiences.
However, the media portray the situation as much more serious than it really is.
For years, the cultural sector has been obliged to comply with strict sanitary standards
concerning bedbugs. In fact, public cultural venues continually undergo preventive procedures
with dogs, which represents a real budget. For example, the MK2 production company spends
almost €100,000 a year on detecting and treating bedbugs in its theaters. The Paris Opera follows
rigorous protocols for checking its rooms, and organizes awareness campaigns for its staff to
ensure that the problem is managed in the best possible way.
It's fair to say, then, that the situation in Paris' cultural facilities is not actually dramatic, since it
is now being carefully managed. While a few membership cards have been canceled in cinemas,
for example, the cultural sector is not experiencing a major downturn, as many events have been
taking place since the start of the new school year.

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Thank you for your intervention. As the minister of economy, if i
may add, we have seen a decrease of 10% in revenue in the cultural environment especially in
movie theaters. it begins to be worrying.
Minister of Health, could you please address the health risks associated with this crisis?

Minister of Health: So far, bedbugs are not vectors of disease.

In fact, they are mainly known for the dermatological and allergic damage they cause. These can
vary from a simple bite to symptoms like urticaria. In the case of severe infestation, bedbugs can
also be a source of fatigue and various psychological troubles.
As for treatment, bedbug bites disappear naturally within ten days and do not require special
care. Clean your skin and try not to scratch, to avoid super-infection.
Bed bugs are a major nuisance these days; that is why it is so important to communicate as much
as possible on this subject: talk about the different ways of eliminating bed bugs, how to spot
them... etc.

Meeting proceeds to the 2nd agenda item:

Strategies to Control and Eliminate Infestations

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Moving on to our next agenda item, we will discuss strategies to
control and eliminate infestations, both in transportation and cultural venues.
Please ministers, feel free to interrupt at any times if you need to. This is an emergency meeting.
We need to be quick. Thus, Minister of Transport, what measures do you propose for eradicating
bed bugs from public transportation?
Minister of Transport: I think we need to really understand the level of infection to implement
the best strategy to eradicate the bed bugs by conducting depth surveys. Afterwards, we should
collaborate with insect control experts to identify the high-risk areas we need to focus on.
Later, we must implement regular inspection protocols in each transport to maintain the sanity of
the transports. For example, we could include bed bug detection dogs in the main stations, airport
terminals and bus terminals. By identifying exactly the zone of infection, we will lower the cost
of disinfection by treating only the places infected and not cleaning every transport, which is an
expensive strategy and almost impossible because we cannot stop all the circulation of the
transports.
Experts would intervene locally. At the same time, the whole cleaning program would be
reinforced. Also, we should conduct training workshops for transport staff to raise awareness
about bed bug control protocols and how to respond to infestations. Giving the keys to them to
prevent the infection.
Moreover, one of the main actions we must do is advertise the population by doing a campaign
of prevention. Every transport would have displays explaining the simple gestures to avoid
infection. We could also distribute educational brochures in airports and trains. By
communicating with people, we will avoid anxiety and psychosis, really impacting the image of
public transport in France.
Finally, it will be interesting to collaborate with the minister of Environment to adopt a
multidisciplinary approach, and maybe find more sustainable processes for the long term. I can
contact him and plan a meeting when the crisis will be fully in control.

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Thank you, Minister of Transport. Minister of Culture, what
strategies do you have in mind to eliminate bed bugs from theaters and cultural venues?
Minister of Culture: Even if the problem doesn't represent an immediate danger, since it's well
taken care of in the cultural sector, it's very important to show Parisians that the government is
involved in finding solutions to combat this scourge. Many of them are convinced that this is a
major public health problem. We could lose credibility if we don't act.

We could, for example, introduce more rigorous sanitary standards for disinfecting cultural
venues, and communicate regularly on the subject. This could encourage the most fearful
Parisians to take out a cinema membership card, and return to cultural venues previously
considered to be at risk.
These measures must be taken quickly, to show that the problem is under control, and to avoid
unnecessary panic.
 Meeting continues with discussions 3rd agenda item:
Budget Allocation for Managing the Crisis

Minister of Economy (Chair): now it is my turn as the minister of economy to present an

economic analysis of the crisis, including the cost of cleanup and the potential economic
consequences. We need to allocate the budget wisely to address this crisis effectively.
Ministers, have you any suggestions?

Minister of Culture:
The measures I advocate require a substantial budget. The cultural sector is often in financial
difficulty. The health standards we are introducing will require a considerable financial effort
from Parisian theaters, cinemas, and opera houses. We therefore need to set up a substantial
public fund, estimated by our ministerial office at 100 million euros.
What is more, the communication campaign will have to be massive, requiring the creation of a
graphic charter and distribution throughout Paris. This represents an additional expense of 100
million euros.

Minister of Transport: In my opinion, the cost of implementing the new protocols is high. The
price for a disinfection is about more than 10 euros per square meter. The allocation budget needs
to be important; we do not have to forget that everything starts there, and it is by transport that
bed bugs are spreading the most. Thus, my experts estimate a cost of 200 million euros for
treating the places already infected and maintaining the situation until the end of the year.
Moreover, a specific awareness campaign for public transport needs to be created, we could work
with the minister of Culture to see how we could work together concerning the prevention
campaign. However, we will certainly need more 100 million euros if we want to cover every
station.
Minister of Economy (Chair): One immediate concern is cleanup expenses, with a priority on
addressing the bed bug infestations in subway cars.
The economic consequences of this crisis are twofold. First, we must consider the revenue loss
incurred due to decreased patronage of public transportation and cultural events. This affects
ticket sales, concessions, and related income streams. We need to consider that if we close the
RAPT for one day it will amount to a loss of approximately €3 million.
The potential harm to our tourism industry cannot be overstated. France is a global tourism hub,
and the bed bug crisis, if not managed well, can damage our international image. Tourists may
avoid visiting and This could lead to a long-term economic downturn, especially considering that
Paris welcomes approximately 3.5 million tourists every month.
After analysis, I propose an overall budget allocation of €500 million, with specific allocations as
follows: €200 million designated for Minister of Culture's strategies, another €200 million for
Minister of Transport's strategies, and finally, €100 million allocated for Minister of Health's
strategy.

Meeting progresses to the 4th agenda item:

Plans for Restoring Safe and Clean Services

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Now concerning the strategy to restore safe and clean services,
do you have any recommendation?
As soon as I release the funds, in your opinion which solution is the most relevant to start with?
Minister of health, could you start.

Minister of Culture: Fitting bed bug detectors at the entrances to cultural venues could create
widespread panic, and is therefore not the right solution. We do, however, need to ensure that the
comings and goings of Parisians in these places do not include cases of bedbugs.
That is why we need a large-scale prevention campaign to get Parisians to do their own personal
checks to make sure they do not have bedbugs in their homes.

Minister of health: In my opinion, the most appropriate solution is found in communication and
support of population:
 Communication:
Launch an informative campaign to prevent and detect infestations as early as possible, by
raising awareness among the people and professionals most at risk.
 (Financial) Support
Make agreements with insurance companies to help people and businesses affected by bedbugs
to eliminate them permanently. These agreements will allow them to call in professional bed bug
exterminators at lower cost.
It is also important to raise public awareness about the presence of many scams out there to
eliminate bedbugs.

Minister of Transport: I agree with both of you, one of the main actions is prevention by
communication. The campaign of prevention needs to be quickly implemented.
Moreover, we need to start as soon as possible the treatment of transports to control the
spreading and reassure the population. The faster we eradicate the bed bugs in transports, the
faster we will eliminate the problem.

Meeting progresses to the 5th agenda item:

2024: Paris Olympics

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Finally, before we conclude, let us have a brief discussion on the
2024 Paris Olympics in case the bed bug problem persists throughout the year. Minister of
Transport, what are your thoughts on this subject?

Minister of Transport: In my opinion, I totally disagree about the idea of closing the borders.
The infection can totally be under control at the end of the year. We really do not have to fell in a
position of psychosis.
The first consequence of closing the borders will show that the government is not capable of
putting in place protocols efficiently and damage our credibility.
Also, tourism represents an important source of revenue in the transport sectors, do not forget
that more than 75 million of tourists visit France per year, and use public transportation, and this
number will drastically increase during the Olympic Games. We really cannot imagine this
option, because it will have too much impact on transport activity, and on a larger scale, in the
French economy.

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Thank you. Minister of Culture, your perspective on this issue,
please.

Minister of Culture: France's cultural sector was already in dire straits at the time of Covid 19. I
believe that closing the borders is an inappropriate solution to the problem, given the enormous
loss of revenue it would represent, as well as the damage it would do to France's image.
We need to see how the situation evolves, and take measures such as bedbug detection at airports
and railway stations, for example, to prevent a worldwide spread of bedbugs.

(Chair) Minister of Economy: Finally, Minister of Health, your perspective on the 2024
Olympics and the potential risks posed by the bed bug problem.
Minister of Health: In my opinion, if the bedbug problem persists until March 2024, we should
consider closing the borders to foreign visitors for the Olympic Games.
This would prevent the transmission and spread of bedbugs abroad, which would be totally
uncontrollable, particularly during the summer period like the end of the 2024 Olympics.

The treatment of bed bugs is a real nuisance for private individuals, and becomes a major state
problem when it affects the country on a large scale.
- Financially: not all countries can afford to finance the treatment of bedbugs for their residents
- Health: the itching can be very uncomfortable, even painful. What is more, we are not immune
to the emergence of variant bedbugs that can carry disease (in new climates, in contact with new
bacteria…we do not know?)
I think that, after a very difficult covid crisis, we need to learn from our mistakes and take drastic
decisions at the source of the problem to avoid any spread abroad leading to interminable
confinements and an inescapable economic crisis.

(Chair) Minister of Economy: I am also of the opinion that we should not close borders too.
I believe that closing borders should not be our first option. It presents significant economic
repercussions, and we must explore alternative solutions to ensure the safety of the 2024
Olympics.

Business meeting ends – conclusion and thank you

Chair: Ladies and gentlemen, our business meeting on the crisis management of the bed bug
comes to an end.
Thank you to each of the ministers for their contributions and insights today. At the end of the
day, my assistant Maria will send you an invitation for next week's meeting.
Thank you