Mont Fleuri crèche closes temporarily on account of pest infestation |17 June 2023

Ms Prosper (left) and Ms Amade during the press conference

The Mont Fleuri crèche is closed temporarily, effective Friday June 16 due to vermin infestation.

This decision was taken by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Public Health Authority.

In a press conference yesterday afternoon at the school premises, director for health and safety in the Ministry of Education, Regina Prosper, explained that this closure will allow extensive cleaning around the premises.

She said the pests which led to the closure of the school, included rats.

“Rodent pests is one thing which we are concerned with and a lot of work has been done in the last year. It is continuous,” she noted.

Ms Prosper explained that several actions have been taken including the involvement of the pest controller that did their part to clean the place. A visit was also conducted with the Ministry of Health, Public Health Authority and other partners, where they noticed a lot of trash in the river outside the school.

Although the Landscape and Waste Management Agency (LWMA) has done its part, unfortunately, the people nearby still litter the river.

“We are facing issues with mainly secondary and primary,” said Ms Prosper, adding the issue shifts back and forth between the two schools.

“This is continuous, it goes back and forth, no matter the number of actions that we are doing. We are cleaning inside but it is outside that is the problem.”

In an assessment, the Ministry of Education has noticed the things attracting the vermin is mostly the wax crayons. However, she explained that the rats are not necessarily staying in the classrooms. “They just visit and leave.”

Ms Prosper said children should not be throwing food away, and trash should be taken out on time. “We need everybody on board to assist us and give us the support.”

Currently, no cases of leptospirosis or other diseases have been reported. The teachers continuously clean every piece of equipment in the school to keep them hygienic and safe. “We know that Monday is a public holiday, so we took the occasion to close Friday and take the weekend to fix things,” said Ms Prosper.

The Public Health Authority, upon viewing all the work that is being done, will give the green light when to reopen the school.

Merna Amade, senior public health officer from the Ministry of Health, described the situation as alarming despite all the measures taken to put it under control.

"When we were alerted on the worsening situation we took the necessary procedures, we conducted visits and investigations and decided to put it as a priority,” explained Ms Amade.

She has urged people not to throw trash into the river because of the problems it causes. “If we can remove the trash, it will help us to put the situation under control,” she discussed.

The Public Health Authority also plans to intensify home visits, in the surrounding area.  “They will deal with these cases on a one to one basis with the owner of the premises where the nuisance is happening,” said Ms Amade.

Meanwhile, Ms Prosper explained that there are a series of additional things being done in the school and certain measures being taken to prevent future pest’s infestation. In addition, there is a team which consists of staff from the school that will be assisting in the deep cleaning of the tables, chairs and toys. There will also be workers from the ministry’s headquarters and volunteers from the prison that will assist as well, along with some of the parents who will be mostly cleaning outside.

The partners involved include the LWMA and the enforcement environment working in collaboration with the Public Health and Ministry of Education.

Text & photos by Sunny Esparon