National Parks - Current Status

[Sunny Sra]

Adding to Sunny’s Thread.

3/22/20 - Joshua Tree has closer their Gates. You can go in if you hike or bike, but no car access. Campgrounds closed.

3/22/20 - Death Valley. Roads are open, but campgrounds and stores are closed.

3/21/20: Rocky Mountain is closed.

All California State parks are closed for camping, you can go hike but not stay overnight. There is a lot of chatter on closing the popular hikes as more and more are going and not keep distance or stepping aside for hikers coming down.
If you see a parking lot for the hike is full...go home. go up and down the stairs at home with your backpack.

3/20/20:
Yosemite National Park is announcing modifications to operations at the request of the local health department. As of 3:00 pm today, Friday, March 20, 2020, Yosemite National Park is closed to all park visitors until further notice. This closure will be enforced 24-hours a day/7-days a week and there will be no access permitted to Yosemite National Park. https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/news/yosemite-national-park-is-modifying-operations-to-implement-latest-health-guidance-2.htm


3/15 5:00 PM
Looks like some closures of more populated areas managed by NPS has started. Scroll down to the bottom to see currently closed list

https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/public-health-update.htm

3/14
Spoke with 2 rangers. 1 out of Glacier and the other out of Zion.

The rangers don't want to interact with people, the majority of the people who take care of the parks are over 60 years age and are in the higher risk category for infection of Covid19 virus.

The rangers are at the point of revolt and do not want to be put in dangerous situations that can be avoided.

my personal thought:
Majority of the parks do not have flushable toilets, the spread comes from fecal matter also...its kinda stupid to put the rangers at risk and dumb of the management to have not closed the campsites/parks.

Announcement is coming most likely on Sunday or Monday.

 

[AlanLichty]

Hope states don't follow along with closing their parks. I have been in one for the past week (Harris Beach State Park) but a) they have flush toilets and b) in my case I do not use their facilities in the first place since I am fully self contained and have a campsite with a sewer connection. You are correct about the demographics of who is here at least in this park - mostly over 60.

 

[JimFox]

I have to say this is just dumb. If anyone sits their butt on a public toilet without protection then they are just not too smart.

if people are worried about catching it from touching things, use gloves, or just stop touching them. I can enter a National Park and easily show them my pass, they don’t have to touch it. If they are worried about money, then stop charging admission for 2 weeks and let people in for free. If you close the parks you aren’t making money anyway, so just stop exchanging money at the gate.

People are just getting way too paranoid about this. If the thought process that was listed in the Indian Park closures is the same thinking here, then every single business in every single state needs to be closed. Every restaurant, every grocery store, every gas station, every store needs to then close for 2 weeks.

It’s totally stupid to single out Parks, State or National where the vast majority of the people there are spread out. You can close the tours if you want. But the gift store at a National Park isn’t going to be any more contagious then the grocery store down the street. I know that I can go to Yosemite or Joshua Tree and easily stay away from other people. Easily.

Everyone can have their own opinion, but I for one am not going to live in fear. I will take normal precautions, and probably I will take even more precautions then I normally would. But I am not going to stop living and lock myself in my house afraid to go out.

 

[Sunny Sra]

Not my words below...but it's on point. What difference do 2 weeks make? Worth putting someone else life at risk? There's a reason the store shelves are empty.

This is precisely the behavior that drives epidemics, on par with that of anti-vaxers. I have always been amazed that in a credit-driven society US schools hardly teach compound interest. If they did people would appreciate the fearsome power of the set of numbers below

1,2,4,8,16,32,64,
128,256,512,1024,2048,4096,8192,
16384,32768,65536,131072,264144,524288,1048576

In other words, in a week it seems like nothing is happening; in two weeks the "oh shit" moment arrives; and in 3 weeks, in the absence of controls, a city the size of Seattle is completely swamped. We are not even at the "oh shit" moment, and there is no TP in the stores. Imagine what will happen when people actually start shitting their pants from fear.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

I was out grocery shopping today. The # of people per area in the store is way higher than what would be in a national park. While precautions are in order, I agree with Jim that there is more fear and panic than likely warranted.

That said the US hasn't tested as many people till date than even Italy is doing on a daily basis. That to me is just plain wrong. We are acting more like a 3rd world country at this point.

 

[Sunny Sra]

I was out grocery shopping today. The # of people per area in the store is way higher than what would be in a national park. While precautions are in order, I agree with Jim that there is more fear and panic than likely warranted.

That said the US hasn't tested as many people till date than even Italy is doing on a daily basis. That to me is just plain wrong. We are acting more like a 3rd world country at this point.

Probably because people need food, necessities etc to self quarantine for 2-3 weeks in case they do get sick. Of course, there is more panic and fear...
following countries have stopped incoming traffic or have made quarantine mandatory
US (no European & most north Asian traffic blocked)
NZ - 2-week mandatory quarantine
ITALY shut down
Norway shut down
Spain shut down
Philipines - Manila shut down
India - canceled all tourist visa

If self quarantine and closure reduces other people from getting sick...then be part of the solution...don't be part of the problem.

 

[AlanLichty]

......
That said the US hasn't tested as many people till date than even Italy is doing on a daily basis. That to me is just plain wrong. We are acting more like a 3rd world country at this point.

We are likely defining what a 4th world country looks like at the rate we are going.

That said I am enjoying being out in a park for the last week and have visited several local parks/trails and haven't even vaguely come close to anyone else beyond passing by on the park roads. Stores are the only point of contact for me right now and seem like a far more likely vector to be concerned with.

 

[Sunny Sra]

If people think in reverse, it's not about you as an individual getting sick, its about others getting sick and dedicating resources to get them better, you may not be the source...but now you're being part of the problem in case something happens to you...like getting lost, having an accident etc, resources will have to be assigned to you.

A lot of photogs are self sufficient and can go somewhere without any interaction...i'm sure you've heard of "herd" mentality...oh look that guy is going...why can't i go...lets follow him...and back to square one.

 

[Sunny Sra]

We are likely defining what a 4th world country looks like at the rate we are going.

That said I am enjoying being out in a park for the last week and have visited several local parks/trails and haven't even vaguely come close to anyone else beyond passing by on the park roads. Stores are the only point of contact for me right now and seem like a far more likely vector to be concerned with.

There's actually more Chaos in the US than it is in the so-called 3rd world countries.

 

[Sunny Sra]

Maybe keep the park open and whoever goes in has to follow 2 conditions:
1. Pickup 1 huge back of trash from campsites/trails
2. Clean 1 toilet

just sayin...

 

[JimFox]

I don’t really agree with you Sunny.

if your math was correct, on those cruise ships that had the virus, it would have been 100% of the people being infected, it wasn’t.

I totally believe in vaccines. I get my yearly flu shot. You are making this sound like it’s the Black Plague, it’s not. We have had years where the death rate from the flu is that exact same as this death rate.

Just looking at the way people interact with items in a grocery store, or when you get gas, you have to touch the same nozzle, you have to press the same button space to choose Debit or Credit. If the reasoning for shutting down parks is that people will catch it and die, I venture to say 1000% more people would catch it in a grocery store or in a Costco line.

I just got back from running at the beach, despite it being cold and gray, there were people there. Most were spread out, as is typical in an outdoor space. So all beaches should be closed too? Being in an area of fresh air is going to be a whole lot safer then in a contained building like a grocery store or drug store.

 

[Sunny Sra]

All i did was convey the news that the parks may be closing on Monday.

People are going to stores because it is necessary, ofcourse some will get sick, more than say national park or elsewhere. If things were handled properly, maybe people wouldn't be panicking...and a WHOLE lot of people are not panicking and are reasonable

not everyone is getting infection and will keel over and die,
its not the plague that kills millions
there is higher death rate in people 60 and above

so lets take this example:
lets say zion has 70 rangers
now lets say 50 are above the age of 60 and in the high risk bracket
you go, you don't know you're carrying the germ, since it takes a few days for it to start acting like a virus but it's still contagious..you give him your yearly pass...
he has the virus now and goes about his business to the office, to the store etc...he doesn't know...
a week later 5 are sick in the office...
then lets say a week later 20
and in 3 weeks 40

the closest hospital only has bed capacity of 15 - recovery time line is 2-4 weeks

what happens to the other 25?

and this is the point of quarantine, people are not going to do it voluntarily...so lets close places where they can't go and lets keep the problem localized rather than spread it to areas where resources are constrained.

National Guard has already been deployed to help with resources in east coast ... trying to keep the infrastructure from drowning...

How much does it cost to get admitted and getting quarantined? Death is the last step, there are several other things in-between that happen.

 

[Sunny Sra]

Here are some other significant developments:

• ALL public schools under Los Angeles school district are closed for next 2 weeks, students will attend classes online.
• ALL Universities in SOCAL are CLOSED
• A surge in coronavirus patients is threatening to swamp U.S. hospitals, as Oregon, Virginia, Louisiana and New York all reported their first coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday.
• Ten U.S. service members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, along with one Defense Department civilian and two contractors, military officials said.
• Coronavirus cases in Italy rose by roughly 20 percent Saturday, as the already hard-hit country saw its biggest daily increase yet.
• Maria Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has tested positive for covid-19.
• President Trump said his administration was considering domestic travel restrictions for some hot spots.
• The United States’ new travel rules for Britain and the U.K. bring the total number of U.S. travel-restricted countries in Europe to 28.

The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis will hold Holy Week, a series of celebrations in the week leading up to Easter in April, without joining public gatherings as a precaution against the spreading coronavirus.

Spain announced a nationwide lockdown as France moved to close all nonessential businesses — including cafes, restaurants and movie theaters — in the latest testament to the coronavirus pandemic’s profound impact on daily life around the globe.

A Japanese man who apparently recovered from the coronavirus two weeks ago has again fallen ill and tested positive, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.
The man, who is in his 70s, first tested positive for the virus on Feb. 14 while on board the quarantined cruise ship, the Diamond Princess.

Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla on Saturday announced a citywide curfew to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, one of the first such curfews ordered in the United States since the outbreak began.

In Oregon, a 70-year-old man from Multnomah County died in the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center after testing positive on March 10, according to the Oregon Health Authority. He had underlying conditions and is believed to have been infected through person-to-person contact.

JERUSALEM — Israel significantly tightened restrictions on social activity in the country Saturday, barring gatherings of more than 10 people, closing the few preschools and kindergartens that remained open and all but ending “leisure activities” for an indefinite time.
Restaurants, movie theaters and other gathering places also will close, although “essential” business such as supermarkets, banks, pharmacies and gas stations are to remain open. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking on television as families ended their Sabbath, said the country was determined to take every measure to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Israel had already shut down schools and universities until at least the middle of April and all but closed its borders. Anyone entering the country must immediately self-quarantine for two weeks. The country has reported 193 cases of coronavirus infection, with no deaths. The adjacent West Bank has reported 38 cases.

RESTAURANTS ARE CLOSING
Urban Outfitters said it was closing all stores indefinitely on Saturday, and Taco Bell promised to switch its restaurants to drive-through and delivery only as the coronavirus pandemic continued to roil the globe.

 

[Amy Earl]

I agree with lots of points mentioned.

I think there's no reason for panic, but solidarity and everyone playing their part in reducing the spread is a good thing. Overall I'm glad to see the universal response to this global threat, even if the fatality rate is low. I agree with Jim, better to close the grocery store than the park. People need to be able to get outside for fresh air (especially if they've decided to self-quarantine or limit social activity).

Apparently the data shows that the projected rate of infection in the US and Europe will follow China's, who have just reached the plateau and will soon begin its descent. We're following the exact same curve and though there are many other factures (like warmer temperatures) that could affect it, the US won't reach its plateau for another month or more.

 

[ckcarr]

I'm with Sunny.
Two or three weeks won't hurt anyone. Why so insistent to go do "photography" right now. Be with family instead.

I went to the City Market late last night to avoid crowds.

Unfortunately, I also avoided any any groceries too. No paper goods (toilet paper & paper towels), canned goods (none anywhere except sauerkraut), soups... etc. etc. It's like a bomb went off. Then they announced that there were no more grocery bags (no big deal)...

My Company also announced that they want all employees working from home when practical. We also suspended travel between our Boulder office and Moab.

We can joke today, but you don't know what it might be like in three more weeks. Looking at what it's like in just this little town, I could see a real doomsday scenario if you're in a city like Los Angeles or Chicago when all supplies dry up.

The objective of the "social distancing" is to minimize transmission of the virus. It might be a false alarm and will pass, but what if it isn't and you are the Typhoid Mary that is the carrier and not one of the sick ones... Expect the government to suspend travel between states and cities soon.

 

[Jim Sanderson]

I have a 20 picture exhibition going at a local library, the main reception was scheduled for next week. I'm not complaining that it was canceled. I would be unhappy if they closed Yosemite though, big late season cold storm coming in and Tuesday looks like a day I'd like to go up. I too think that things have been a bit overblown, at least peoples reaction to the virus. However, if they close the parks that's OK, better safe than sorry. I checked this morning and Yosemite is still open, I'll check tomorrow afternoon again. Thanks Sunny for the post...

 

[rfkiii]

In 2013, I arrived in Yosemite the day my U.S. Senator helped shut down the government to make an impotent political point. That was no fun. It wasted a week of my vacation time (a very limited resource for working folks) and the cost of travel. This is a different situation causing the closure of course but for the folks on planes or otherwise en route to the park of their choice, the result will be the same.

By the way, I do not see any park closure alerts on the NPS website except for the usual weather related stuff. Are we sure?

 

[Sunny Sra]

In 2013, I arrived in Yosemite the day my U.S. Senator helped shut down the government to make an impotent political point. That was no fun. It wasted a week of my vacation time (a very limited resource for working folks) and the cost of travel. This is a different situation causing the closure of course but for the folks on planes or otherwise en route to the park of their choice, the result will be the same.

By the way, I do not see any park closure alerts on the NPS website except for the usual weather related stuff. Are we sure?

They are starting closures...slowly...

https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/public-health-update.htm

Park and Facility Closurestemporary closure advisory page for additional details, or visit the park links below.

• Alcatraz Island
• Fort Point National Historic Site
• Lands End Lookout
• Muir Woods National Monument
• Nike Missile Site
• Point Bonita Lighthouse

[paste:font size="4"]National Mall and Memorial Parks

• Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument
• Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
• Old Post Office Tower
• Washington Monument

 

[MonikaC]

On the other hand, shuttle service in Zion has been suspended— only passenger vehicles.

 

[JimFox]

On the other hand, shuttle service in Zion has been suspended— only passenger vehicles.

Yep, that’s the good thing.