Carver Bans Night Outdoor Activities Due To 'High' EEE Risk Level

CARVER, MA — The Carver Board of Health raised its Eastern equine encephalitis risk level to "high" and canceled all outdoor activities that take place between dusk and dawn on Wednesday after the town received notification that additional mosquitoes tested positive for the virus.

The town said the ban begins as of Saturday and includes activities at all town playgrounds, athletic fields, parks and beaches.

Mosquitoes were also found with EEE on July 13, according the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

State officials said earlier this month to expect a tough summer when it comes to EEE just as residents looked to get outdoors more often after the coronavirus crisis quarantine this spring.

"Although the world has changed in many different ways since 2019, it's important for us now to get back to thinking about EEE and the preventive measures we all need to take," Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said in a news conference in Plymouth on July 7.

The first cases of EEE in the state this summer were found in mosquito samples taken in Orange —a small Central Mass. town north of Worcester — on July 1.

Related Patch Coverage: Mosquito-Borne Virus's Early Arrival Presents New Health Concern

Mosquito Samples Detect EEE For First Time In MA In 2020