Grand Canyon remains open while employees, local officials push for its closure

Grand Canyon National Park is staying open amid the coronavirus outbreak despite a push by both National Park Service (NPS) employees and local officials for its closure, documents obtained by The Hill show. Health experts and parks advocates have warned that recent crowding at national parks could contribute to the spread of the coronavirus, threatening the public and parks employees, and emails sent last week show growing concern among many at one of the country's most popular parks. An employee of the Grand Canyon’s emergency medical services (EMS) branch said in a March 25 email to other staff members that the park “has closure support from the [Grand Canyon] Superintendent, Regional Director, and NPS Director as well as the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, the Navajo Nation, Tusayan Chamber of Commerce, and the Tusayan Fire Department.” The email, which was obtained by The Hill, also said that the park’s incident management team was continuing to work on support documentation to close the park to the public and that it has sent documentation to both the NPS and the Interior Department. It said the documentation was under review and that it includes “objective data and facts regarding critical operational limitations (i.e., public health, wastewater treatment, EMS staffing, etc.).”...MORE