With memories of the pandemic still fresh, the city’s voluntary curfew to prevent the spread of a deadly mosquito-borne virus is sparking anger

CNN
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The idea of ​​shutting down outdoor activities as the sun goes down to protect people from a deadly mosquito-borne virus isn’t new. The outcry over the measure this year is.

In 2005, 2012 and 2019, cities in Massachusetts and Connecticut asked residents to limit outdoor activities during outbreaks of eastern equine encephalitis, an infection also known as EEE, with little fanfare or attention.

Last week, however, when officials The town of Oxford, Massachusetts, announced a voluntary curfew and urged residents to end outdoor activities by 6 p.m. through the end of September (and 5 p.m. in October until the first frost). Some residents weren’t happy. About 200 people showed up to a town meeting where the measure was discussed.

There wasn’t the same type of protest against similar measures aimed at preventing the spread of EEE in 2019, said Philip Davis, president of Oxford Little League.

“In my family, we were tired of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. We were tired of being locked up in our homes, of being afraid. Living in fear is no way to live,” he said.

But with the 2019 EEA curfews followed shortly after by Covid restrictions, he said: “I think everyone at that point was just saying, ‘Enough is enough. Let’s put the decision-making back in the hands of parents.’”

Eastern equine encephalitis is caused by a virus transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The virus often travels to the brain, where it causes swelling or inflammation. Early symptoms may include a sudden headache, high fever, chills and vomiting that can progress to disorientation, seizures and coma. Severe cases are rare. About 11 human infections are reported in the United States each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mosquitoes that spread EEE are most active at dusk and dawn.

“I imagine the decision of the dusk-to-dawn curfew was not taken lightly by local and state health departments,” said Dr. Kristy Murray, an expert on mosquito-borne viruses at Emory University.

“The most horrific outbreak of EEE in the United States occurred in Massachusetts in 1938, with 25 deaths, mostly in children. I would imagine that public health officials would want to do what they can to prevent another outbreak if the data is concerning,” Murray wrote in an email to CNN.

Lori Freeman, executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, known as NACCHO, said a curfew does several things: It keeps people off the streets when they’re most likely to be bitten; it gets people’s attention, alerting them to the threat in the first place; and finally, in some cases, it makes it safer for people when crews have to spray chemical insecticides that kill adult mosquitoes to control the insect population.

Oxford and three other towns — Douglas, Sutton and Webster — were classified as critically at risk for EEE on Aug. 16 after a person and a horse in the area tested positive for the infection, which kills about 1 in 3 people and leaves about 50% of survivors with lasting neurological problems, according to the CDC. There is no specific treatment for the disease.

Oxford City Manager Jennifer Callahan wrote a public letter to the city’s Board of Health telling them the person who tested positive lived in Oxford. She wrote that the person’s family members had reached out and urged city officials to notify others.

But that wasn’t enough to convince some parents and coaches. As of Monday, a Change.org petition protesting the proposal has garnered more than 880 signatures.

“My kids have already lost a big part of their childhood to Covid. Playing soccer and cheering others on has given them some sort of normalcy over the years. … Please don’t close the fields,” wrote one person who identified herself as an emergency room nurse, adding that she understood the risk of EEE and believed it could be managed with other measures like spraying and wearing protective clothing.

“Government excesses in the name of security have disrupted enough of our children’s lives,” wrote another commenter.

Rike Sterrett, Oxford’s director of public health, understands that the Covid-19 restrictions have been deeply felt by parents and children and have left a long shadow over public health. She stresses that the city’s curfew is a recommendation and is voluntary.

Public schools are following voluntary guidelines, Sterrett said. They are not canceling activities and sports, but are rescheduling them or moving practices indoors when possible.

The city has even provided an exemption for outside groups that want to continue using city fields. They can continue to play on city fields after hours if they sign a legal form stating they understand the risks and provide proof of adequate insurance.

“So there are no evening games under the lights, it’s just adjusting those training times,” she said.

Sterrett said she worked for the town of Marlborough, Massachusetts, in 2019, which was also a bad year for EEE, with 12 human cases across the United States. Officials there issued similar recommendations to halt outdoor activities shortly before dusk.

“In 2019, I feel like there was a little less resistance to those recommendations, but there was still some,” Sterrett said, adding that she understands people want to be outside enjoying the last bit of warm weather of the year.

At the same time, the call for restrictions on outdoor activities has helped raise public awareness of the infection and the need to avoid mosquito bites.

“I hope education will be spread,” Sterrett said.

Davis said he still works with Local officials will try to make the recommendations more flexible.

Parents would like to see the city comply with the state’s recommendation to restrict outdoor activities from dusk to dawn, “which is a huge difference,” he said.

On Tuesday evening, for example, nightfall is expected to occur around 8 p.m., two hours after the recommended curfew.

Davis said his Little League organization plans to sign the waiver required by the city and has the insurance needed to play on the fields after the curfew. He said he will advise his coaches to end practices a half-hour before dusk to get players off the fields and give them time to collect their equipment and get back inside themselves.

It will be well past 6 p.m.

“We felt like it wasn’t the right thing to do,” Davis said.