Author: Donna Ardizzoni

9/28/2012 2:49:45 PM EST – Good afternoon. This is Mayor Carolyn Kirk with an important message from the City of Gloucester’s code red emergency messaging system. Please listen carefully to the following message.

The City Administration, School Department, and Board of Health are monitoring the growing number of animal and human cases of West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis or Triple E. Effective immediately, we are instituting two precautionary measures:

1) ) All outside youth sports programs, the use of city playing fields, and city sponsored activities between the hours of 5pm and 8am will be restricted or rescheduled. The School Department and individual youth programs will be contacting families directly.

2) The second precautionary measure we are taking is to request that restaurants with outdoor eating areas post information about the threat of mosquito-borne illness during dusk and evening hours.

You are also urged to take precautionary measures such as:

• Repair screens to keep mosquitos out of the house.
• Eliminate areas of standing water.
• Wear mosquito repellant when outdoors.
• Wear long sleeves and long pants during peak mosquito hours from dusk until dawn.
• Use mosquito netting on baby carriages.

For more detailed information, please call 978-282-8025 and listen to a recorded message, or visit the Gloucester Public Health Department’s website at http://www.gloucester-ma.gov.

To repeat, the city of Gloucester is taking precautionary measures to prevent mosquito borne illnesses and we are encouraging all residents to do the same.
Thank you for listening, and this concludes this message.