Yellowstone, Grand Teton to close parks until further notice as coronavirus spreads
Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks will shut their gates to all park visitors until further notice as coronavirus spreads.
Officials in several counties in Wyoming and Montana asked the park to consider closing down because of the strain tourists coming to the area could have on local health care systems, according to McClatchy News.
“The National Park Service listened to the concerns from our local partners and, based on current health guidance, temporarily closed the parks,” Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly and Grand Teton Acting Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail said in a news release. “We are committed to continued close coordination with our state and local partners as we progress through this closure period and are prepared when the timing is right to reopen as quickly and safely as possible.”
No visitors will be permitted into either park, according to the news release. All state highways and roads that go through the park and any “facilities that support life safety and commerce” will still be open, the news release stated.
In 2019, Yellowstone saw about 4 million visitors, according to park data.
Last week, the entrance fees for all national parks was waived to encourage people to safely head outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic. In many parks, however, crowds formed as people flocked to the public lands.
Several other national parks have shut their gates as well, including Yosemite and Great Smoky Mountains national parks.
“Despite park efforts over the last week to comply with the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidance for social distancing, approximately 30,000 people entered the park daily resulting in congested conditions at popular locations,” Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials said in an email, according to McClatchy News.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Yellowstone, Grand Teton to close parks until further notice as coronavirus spreads."