Health

The Health Department has decided to ban all outdoor activities on municipal property after 6 p.m. until September and after 5 p.m. in October.

The Oxford Board of Public Health voted to temporarily restrict the use of public outdoor spaces at a meeting on Wednesday. The decision comes as the city has been classified as “critical risk” due to the severe mosquito-borne Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus.

The Oxford Department of Public Health recommends that all outdoor activities end before 6pm until September and before 5pm from October until the first heavy frost.

Classes will resume in Oxford public schools on August 27, and with the start of school, outdoor sports will also begin. Many of those attending the meeting were parents who were worried about whether their children would be able to go to outdoor games and training after the school day.

“Ultimately, we are here to make sure you are all safe,” said Kerrie Singer, chair of the health department, in the business meeting. “We are not banning anything, we are implementing safety measures.”

Attendees at times drowned out Singer and other board members as they debated whether or not to accept the recommendations. This was not a public hearing with room for public comment, but a business meeting open to the public. However, that did not stop people from attending the meeting and voicing their concerns.

Rike Sterrett, director of the Oxford Health Department, explained that the Oxford Public Schools superintendent is working with local community centers to reschedule or move school sports practices indoors when possible. Sterrett confirmed that the superintendent is working within the framework of the BOH’s recommendations.

What are the recommendations?

At the meeting, Sterret listed several recommendations from the Ministry of Health, including:

• Use of mosquito repellents
• Wear clothing that limits contact with skin, such as long sleeves and socks.
• Removing standing water from houses
• Rescheduling of outdoor activities that take place after 6 p.m. in September and after 5 p.m. in October