The National Park Service started circulating this image Monday/NPS
Editor's note: This updates with closures at Mount Rainier National Park, and Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas national monuments.
More areas of the National Park System closed to the public Monday due to the spread of COVID-19. In the greater New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area the Statue of Liberty National Monument closed, as did facilities at Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts.
Other closings or cancellations included:
* In New Mexico, the Civil War Encampment that Pecos National Historical Park was to hold on March 28 was canceled.
* The Museum of African American History and Black Heritage Trail tours at the Boston African American National Historic Site were temporarily closed on Monday.
* St. Paul's Church National Historic Site in Mount Vernon, New York, closed to the public.
* Some buildings at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia were temporarily closed for deep cleaning.
* Castle Clinton National Monument in New York City was closed.
* Areas at Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California that were to remain closed through March included Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, Lands End Lookout, the Nike Site, and Point Bonita Lighthouse.
* The Longmire Museum and Paradise Jackson Visitor Center at Mount Rainier National Park were temporarily closed.
* Visitor service operations at Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas national monuments closed Monday.
Previous closures included tours up the Washington Monument, Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument, Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, and the Old Post Office Tower in Washington, D.C.
There was no immediate word on how Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's decision to "temporarily shut down restaurants, bars and entertainment and recreational facilities" might impact Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades national parks.
Another unknown was whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that groups be limited to no more than 50 individuals was impacting tours at Mammoth Cave National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park (Wind Cave National Park's cave tours were suspended last July due to elevator problems).
Comments
On the Outer Banks of NC, local real estate companies are inviting people to spend their Covid-19 "vacations" here!!! Cape Hatteras NS/Outer Banks Group is getting NO GUIDANCE from Washington on whether to close! Employees do not need to be exposed and Visitors DO NOT need to be here!
Thank you. My sister works for NPS. She is Ranger. And is scared to go to work. She loves her job and the visitors. But what if a coworker comes to work with the virus. There is 20 Rangers. They try to be careful. But is affraid of coming home to her family with the virus.
Im from Louisville and have had a cross country road trip to 20+ national parks this May planned for about a year, I'm going to be devastated if it has to be canceled :(
I bet most rangers and visitors who are under 70 have a bigger risk from the car ride there than the coronavirus. Literally. But, everyone is in freak out mode.
Being devastated is an over reaction. Wait until next year. It is not about the risk to yourself. Be kind to others. Do you want to be responsible for even one sick person, especially if they are denied healthcare due to over capacity? Words like freak out are dismissive and patronizing. This is not a freak out. It is being prudent.
Please educate yourself. Of course, the chances of a younger person (<60) getting seriously sick from it is very small. That's been known. I suggest you read up on what public health experts are saying instead of saying people are just in "freak out" mode based on your very outdated knowledge.
PS love the poster!
A National Forest ranger in SC told me the fed parks most likely to be closed are near urban areas. He went on to ssy that of course that could change, but as of now he has not heard otherwise.