With the large international visitation that the National Park System receives, it's only natural to wonder how the National Park Service is guarding against visitors who might be infected with Coronavirus.
Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Death Valley are among the park units that attract large numbers of international visitors.
"While there have been no identified cases of Coronavirus in any national park, the NPS Office of Public Health and the U.S. Public Health Service officers assigned to the National Park Service are closely monitoring the situation and keeping staff informed, relying on the most updated data and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," Alexandra Picavet, the acting chief spokesperson for the Park Service, said Tuesday.
"Parks are informed to follow CDC guidance regarding preventative actions to help prevent the spread of viruses, particularly during flu and respiratory disease season."
Comments
It's not media hype and public panic. Social distancing is a scientific way of turning something unmanageable into something manageable, hopefully.
It's not emotionally driven, but learning from history. See this article for an explanation.
https://qz.com/1816060/a-chart-of-the-1918-spanish-flu-shows-why-social-...
Most parks are manned by volunteer camp host, although there are many larger ones with paid staff. Many visitors are full time people who live in their RV's, and depend on the campgrounds for a place to live. I can't see how closing the park as long as people are restricting their activities. Please keep them open.
Alcatraz should be closed. It is not the same as Zion or Bryce. People at Alcatraz or at any urban park are in close proximity to each other. This is a breeding ground for the virus to move easily. This should not be a financial issue or an emotional issue. It is a health issue and these urban parks should be closed.
NPS needa to close at least through June. Visitor centers and bathrooms are infestations for the Coronavirus.
Hard to do when when standing in the BR line!!
I agree, these people need to stop thinking about themselves and think about the employees. no one cares about your trip
I agree! our leadership team is trying to figure this out! these visitors are spoiled little brats that wants to awe at a ranger. What happens when the rangers get sick? I bet they won't sit inside a visitor center to make sure the operations keep moving. visitors, stop being self centered!
The issue is not that of crowds with hand sanitizer and gloves who are healthy enough to travel coming to our parks. The issue is being exposed and contracting the virus while traveling and intermingling with crowds, having no symptoms and not knowing that you carry the virus, returning home and exposing many others who are at high risk. Should the parks be closed? None of us know the right/correct answer because we don't know the end result of this outbreak, and we cannot predict the future. The decisions that must be made will be made on the basis of data as we know it now. It's a very tough situation made all the more confusing by politics, many cooks in the kitchen, and lots of understandable human emotion. I'm planning to travel as of this writing but preparing for disappointment.