Northeastern towns issue voluntary lockdown to prevent spread of potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease EEE | 24 Aug 2024 | Four Massachusetts towns -- Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster -- have enacted a voluntary evening lockdown in an attempt to curb the spread of a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease. The decision comes after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed the first human case of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) since 2020 in Worcester County. On Wednesday, the Oxford Board of Health voted to support the recommendation for people to remain indoors after 6:00 p.m., effective immediately, through Sept. 30, according to a public health advisory shared with Fox News Digital. Starting on Oct. 1, the recommendation is to remain indoors after 5:00 p.m. until the first hard frost. [Yup, mosquito lockdowns are on the way - just in time for the next "election."]