Four Massachusetts towns—Douglas, Oxford, Sutton, and Webster—have implemented a voluntary evening lockdown to prevent the spread of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a dangerous mosquito-borne disease.

This follows the first confirmed human case of EEE in Worcester County since 2020.

Residents are advised to stay indoors after 6:00 p.m. until September 30, and after 5:00 p.m. starting October 1 until the first hard frost.

The advisory designates these towns as “critical-risk” areas, Fox News has reported.

While the lockdown is voluntary, local schools are adjusting sports schedules to minimize exposure during peak mosquito hours.

Written by B.C. Begley