Pokemon Go Slowing Down Mosquito Spray Effort
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW) - Drivers of pesticide trucks spraying North Texas neighborhoods for mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus say they're suddenly encountering a new pest. A human one.
"Everywhere. They're everywhere," chuckles Jason Williams, Texas Operations Manager for Vector Disease Control International.
Contracted to spray parts of Dallas County and Tarrant County, the company is finding more people wandering outside at all hours of the night, even as late as 4:00 a.m.
"I work all day. That's why I come out at night," says Amber Fleming, a Pokemon player.
"It's so hot during the day," said fellow gamer, Jenna Palmer. "The nighttime is just the best time to do it now."
Driver Vinay Naik says he spots people huddled in parks and under street lamps.
"You know automatically. They're all looking at their phones. You know they're all playing Pokemon Go," he said.
Naik understands the addiction. He's a Pokemon player himself.
Still, he says, it takes him longer to do his job, when he's stopping for people in the street and waiting for areas to clear out so he can spray them.
"There's people not paying attention, and then they complain to us that we're being unsafe," he said.
"There's a little bit of a frustration factor," said Williams "We don't want to hit anybody and we certainly don't want to spray anybody."
That frustration can boil over.
"We had an impatient driver that yelled at some people that she was waiting for them to move and they weren't paying attention," said Williams.
Many players admit the game can become a distraction.
"My boyfriend almost walked into a hole while we were playing out here," said Fleming.
Naik says he and his colleagues are doing their best to avoid the crowds.
"We'll try to leave parks and popular areas for last," said Naik.
The company, though, says drivers won't spray anywhere they see people outside.
"We won't spray them. We'll just completely skip it or we'll finish the route and come back to see if it's clear," said Williams.
Leaving places unprotected against West Nile carrying mosquitos, though, isn't an good option, he said.
"We want to get as much done as we can. Safely."
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