I was reading this article about a decision to keep the National Parks open: Keeping U.S. National Parks Open Is ‘Reckless,’ Advocates Say
So, they closed Yellowstone but they're keeping the Grand Canyon open.
Apparently, they waived the entrance fees to give a financial break to people who wanted to go, but they're now getting a surge of people coming to the parks.
A lot of these places have only small, rural hospitals and are not equipped to handle large numbers of patients.
An official with the National Parks Conservation Association says she can't understand what's happening with the senior leadership and why they can't just close the Grand Canyon National Park.
The Navajo Nation also reports that they're seeing increased traffic, with limited healthcare facilities.
I'm kind of surprised to hear of that much activity in these remote areas. I didn't even think it was park season yet, but all these people are apparently flocking to national parks and other less populated areas away from the cities.
So, what gives? Are all these people taking vacations in the middle of a national crisis, or are they fleeing the cities to find some safe, out of the way spot to ride it out and try to survive?
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is sticking with its crowd-friendly waiver of entrance fees at national parks during the coronavirus pandemic, as managers at some parks try and fail to keep visitors a safe distance apart and communities appeal for a shutdown at other parks that are still open.
While the Interior Department agreed this week to requests from local managers of Yellowstone and some other iconic national parks to close, others remained open and newly free of charge. In Arizona, local governments and the Navajo Nation were waiting for an answer Thursday on their request earlier this week for federal officials to shut down Grand Canyon National Park as cases of the coronavirus grow in surrounding areas.
“We think it’s just in the best interest of the community, the visitors and the staff,” said Lena Fowler, a supervisor in Coconino County, which includes the Grand Canyon. “What we’re really concerned about is making sure everyone is safe.”
So, they closed Yellowstone but they're keeping the Grand Canyon open.
The National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit group that advocates on park policy issues, called the administration’s decision to keep the Grand Canyon open “beyond reckless.”
Apparently, they waived the entrance fees to give a financial break to people who wanted to go, but they're now getting a surge of people coming to the parks.
Goodwin said a decision by Bernhardt earlier this month to waive entrance fees during the pandemic was meant to give a financial break to those visitors who had decided they wanted to go, not to draw people outdoors and together on vistas and trails as coronavirus deaths and illnesses grow.
“It was not meant to create a flood of people to national parks,” Goodwin said.
A lot of these places have only small, rural hospitals and are not equipped to handle large numbers of patients.
“We looked at different models, including closing just the highly congested trails, but in the end, we decided to support the local community efforts to decrease unnecessary travel,” she said.
In the Southwest, local health officials for Arches and Canyonlands national parks also urged the park service Thursday to shut down those sites.
Despite orders barring out-of-town residents from staying overnight, hundreds of visitors are still coming to the parks, said Bradon Bradford with the Southeast Utah Health Department. That puts park staff at risk of infection, especially when shortages have left them unable to get items they need to keep the restrooms sanitized, he said.
The small, rural hospital could still be overwhelmed if people get seriously ill, officials said.
An official with the National Parks Conservation Association says she can't understand what's happening with the senior leadership and why they can't just close the Grand Canyon National Park.
“I just don’t understand what’s going on in terms of the senior leadership,” regarding cutting the entrance fees and keeping national parks open, said Kristen Brengel, a senior official with the National Parks Conservation Association.
National parks, including the Grand Canyon, have roads and trails designed to funnel visitors en masse to see views and wildlife, Brengel said. “They know they can’t keep people safe there,” she said.
The Navajo Nation also reports that they're seeing increased traffic, with limited healthcare facilities.
The Navajo Nation, which has 71 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, closed tribal parks, placed restrictions on businesses and issued a stay-at-home order for residents on the vast 27,000-square-mile (70,000-square-kilometer) reservation that extends into Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.
“We are experiencing constant traffic through Navajo communities, and we simply cannot afford any additional outbreaks among our Navajo people, non-Navajo residents or those tourists travelling through the Navajo Nation,” tribal President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer wrote in the letter seeking the park closure.
I'm kind of surprised to hear of that much activity in these remote areas. I didn't even think it was park season yet, but all these people are apparently flocking to national parks and other less populated areas away from the cities.
So, what gives? Are all these people taking vacations in the middle of a national crisis, or are they fleeing the cities to find some safe, out of the way spot to ride it out and try to survive?