Coronavirus image/CDC,Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS
National parks and their facilities remain open during the coronavirus epidemic in the United States while National Park Service officials await further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agency staff said Thursday.
"To help guide the National Park Service operational response to the novel (new) coronavirus (COVID-19), the NPS Office of Public Health and the U.S. Public Health Service officers assigned to the NPS are closely monitoring the situation and keeping staff informed," Park Service acting chief spokesperson Stephanie Roulett told the Traveler in an email. "They are relying on the most updated data and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM), state and local public health authorities, and coordinating with the DOI Office of Emergency Management.
"The national parks are open and facilities are maintaining continuity of operations," she added. "The NPS is focused on ensuring employees, their families, volunteers, and visitors are safe by following the most current guidance from the CDC, OPM, OEM, and other federal, state, and local health authorities."
The Park Service has been working to keep the public up-to-date on the situation via its public health website.
Representatives for Xanterra Parks & Resorts and Delaware North, two of the largest concessionaires in the National Park System with operations in places such as Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Sequoia, and Shenandoah national parks, did not immediately reply Thursday to emailed requests for how they were approaching the epidemic in their park lodges and restaurants.
Comments
The indoor common areas around the parks need to be closed. It is necessary and not a matter of anything but safety. The Grand Canyon attract thousands of people a day from all over the USA and the world. It could be an epicenter of contagion for travelers and a safty risk for employees of the parks and rangers. The tiny clinic at the Grand Canyon and the small city of Flaggstaff could not handle the number of ICU beds needed to take care of the large elderly population in Northern Arizonia. Time to stop thinking anything but isolation for the next few weeks.
I'm on my way outside now. Going to breath fresh air and cleanse the lungs. Going to stay far away from hikers in front of and behind me because of my slow snail pace but I will hike.
My hubby and I have been going to Death Valley National Park every spring for over 20 years. We backpack for several nights and then stay at Furnace Creek for several more nights. Not this year. National parks need to be proactive and not wait on government officials to finally come to a conclusion and what should be done. We all know what should be done. For the health and safety of tourist as well as employees shut down now.
Why not control your visitors per day and limit the time spent inside the park? At least people has somewhere to go and something to do when almost everything fun/leisure activity is shut down. BUT APPLY WHAT CDC IS RECOMMENDING.
I agree, keep the parks open but ensure enhancedced cleaning measures
Our leadership at the top was on this 6 weeks before the was any public mention from ANY world leaders.
Let's stop the panic manufactured by the media to cause chaos! The leadership care About its citizens! Including not setting up an atmoshere of panic
Keep walking trails open. No restaurants, inns, bus tours, shuttles, ferries, etc. Absolutely close caverns, caves, and other places where viruses could flourish and cannot be readily disinfected without destroying that which makes them special. Also, rem that the COVID-19 is believed to be derived from bats. The recent white nose disease (I believe that is what it was called) endangered bat populations and closed many caverns for over a year. If we do what we need to do now, we can enjoy these special parks sooner, and with limited damage.
Leave the parks open but close all aspects of the parks that require employees to have direct interaction with visitors. Nature is a safe place to be, but endangering the employess of the park is not right. let entrance be free, no Ticket taker and money exchange and opportunity for virus to spread. No food except they vending machines that can be filled by employees after hours wearing gloves and who can then sterilize the vending machines. Eliminate the risk of the employees having direct contact with customers. As for the lodges and restaurants? I wouldn't want anyone preparing my food that could be coughing on it. and restaurants and lodges are gatherings of lots of people from all over and is a perfect place for the virus to spread and be taken home to communities that don't have it yet. Let's face it, any interaction with anyone increases your chances of getting it. They may not be showing any signs and have no idea that they have it yet. Then you get it and spread it to your family and friends before you have any idea that you even have it. The less human interaction the less spreading. Being outside in nature is fine. Putting employees at risk to service visitors at the park is not ok. Let people visit, bring their own food and address all their own needs.