Mosquito Threat Causes Sport Schedule Move in Portsmouth

The Portsmouth School District is following the lead of North Kingston, Bristol-Warren and Chariho school districts, and moving evening sport activities to the afternoon. 

The school district posted this release on their Web site: 

Dear members of the Portsmouth High School Community,

The Rhode Island Department of Health has issued an advisory regarding EEE-mosquito-borne illness. They have urged schools to employ “smart scheduling” of outdoor activities in order to minimize the risk of mosquito bites for students, coaches, and spectators.

At this time, the Portsmouth High School athletic department is actively working to shift evening contests, where possible, to the afternoon in order to avoid being outdoors between dusk and dawn, the most active time for mosquitoes. While we know that a change in schedule may cause scheduling changes for families, student safety is our highest priority.When it appears impractical to shift scheduling to the daytime, we encourage the following procedures in order to minimize the risk of bites:·        

Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants where possible· Wear an insect repellent that is at least 30 percent DEETAll coaches have been notified to conclude practices before sundown and will have insect repellent on hand.If you need additional information about smart scheduling or about personal protection from mosquito bites, please contact the HEALTH Information Line at 222-5960 or visit the RIDOH website at:  http://www.health.ri.gov.

Do you think sport activities should be moved to the afternoon or should they still be held in the evening? What do you think? Tell us in the comment section below.