'Please don't come': calls to close US national parks over virus fears

As mild temperatures and spring blooms emerged in southern Utah this past weekend, so did the tourists. At Capitol Reef national park, the trailhead parking lot was full of cars bearing plates from states such as California, Washington, Colorado and Georgia, all Covid-19 hotspots. The hikers were either oblivious to or ignoring the plea from the local sheriff’s office that outsiders stay away. “While we would normally welcome visitors to enjoy the beauty of Wayne county, we really don’t want visitors during the Covid-19 pandemic,” stated a 3 April post on the sheriff’s Facebook page. Wayne county, where Capitol Reef is located, has 2,600 residents and little in the way of healthcare services. “If you don’t live here, please don’t come here.” The crown jewels in the US national park system, like Grand Canyon and Zion, were shuttered last week after days of petitioning from local health authorities, but 284 of the 419 units in the national park system remain fully or partially open to visitors. They are parks such as Capitol Reef, renowned for a colorful series of sandstone cliffs. Even after the main scenic drive was closed on Sunday to try to discourage visitors, the park itself remained open. The National Park Service (NPS) “asks visitors to follow CDC guidance as well as state and local orders in order to protect themselves and others”, said Chelsea Sullivan, a public affairs specialist at NPS headquarters in Washington DC. Sullivan said there are no immediate plans for an agency-wide shut down. “Where it is possible to adhere to federal, state and local public health guidance, outdoor spaces will remain accessible to the public.” But many NPS employees on the frontlines disagree with the agency’s approach. “It is irresponsible for us to be open because we are aiding in the spread of the virus,” said a manager at a national park in the midwest who has witnessed visitation increase over the past several weeks...MORE