Number of national and state parks closing to fight spread is growing
As the nation makes drastic changes to everyday life to slow the spread of the coronavirus, many national and state parks are closing to the public.
The closures come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintain social distancing guidelines and a growing number of states impose shutdowns of nonessential businesses.
The National Park Service has closed at least a dozen park sites and modified operations at many others. Modifications include closing restrooms and visitor centers or allowing only hiking areas and trails to remain open.
Medical experts say outdoor activities such as hiking, jogging and bike riding at parks are safe as long as you’re not doing it in groups. The CDC advises people to stay 6 feet away from others to avoid possible infection.
National and state parks that have closed because of the pandemic include the following, though visitors should check individual park websites before trying to visit:
National park sites
❚ Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah, Georgia, is closed until further notice.
❚ Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is closed to visitors until further notice.
❚ Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is closed until further notice.
❚ The Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island in New York are temporarily closed.
❚ Yosemite National Park campgrounds in California are closed through March 31.
❚ Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii is temporarily closed.
❚ Joshua Tree National Park in California has closed its visitor center, campgrounds, as well as its roads to all vehicle traffic.
❚ Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in New Mexico is closed until further notice.
❚ Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego is closed through April 10.
❚ Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia is closed until further notice.
❚ Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas closed its buildings and visitor center until further notice.
State park sites Florida
All 175 state parks in Florida will be closed indefinitely beginning March 23.
Oregon
All state parks in Oregon are closed effective March 23.
North Carolina
Several state parks in North Carolina including Crowders Mountain, Lake Waccamaw, Hanging Rock, Raven Rock, Fort Macon and Fort Fisher State Recreation Area are closed until further notice.
California
California State Parks have temporarily closed all campgrounds.
Illinois
All Illinois state parks and wildlife areas are temporarily closed. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said it will work with governor’s office and the state Department of Public Health to determine when parks should reopen.
Pennsylvania
Facilities at all state parks, including visitor centers, restrooms and campgrounds, will be closed until March 31. Trails, lakes and roads will be remain open to the public.
New Mexico
All New Mexico state parks will be closed through April 9.
Washington
All state park campgrounds are closed through April 30.
ALABAMA Birmingham: Health officials in the state’s largest county on Sunday ordered the closure of nonessential businesses, including hair salons and many retail stores, to curtail the spread of the coronavirus as the number of cases in the state grew to more than 155. “This is a matter of life and death,” Jefferson County Health Officer Mark Wilson said.
ALASKA Ketchikan: The city is considering whether to allow cruise ships to dock while waiting out the global ocean cruise suspension because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
ARIZONA Phoenix: COVID-19 cases spiked more than 50% in one day, the state Department of Health reported Monday. It confirmed 235 cases in the state, up from 152 on Sunday.
ARKANSAS Mountain Home: The Arkansas Community Foundation is accepting proposals for $1,000 minigrants for organizations responding to the immediate needs of vulnerable populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: Sunshine lured crowds to beaches and parks Sunday despite a statewide stay-athome order, prompting more closures as officials announced plans to ramp up testing procedures for the coronavirus. Santa Monica closed seaside parking lots to discourage people from visiting its famous strand, and Los Angeles was expected to do the same starting Monday in neighboring Venice Beach.
COLORADO Denver: Gov. Jared Polis on Sunday ordered non-critical businesses to cut the number of employees working together in offices and other workplaces by at least half. He also urged state residents to also do their part to reduce their potential exposure to the coronavirus by doing things like only shopping once a week and jogging less frequently and at different hours.
CONNECTICUT Farmington: The state’s first triage tent for treating those believed to be infected with the coronavirus was set up outside the emergency department at UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital. UConn Health says the tent is not a testing center but will be used if the expected surge in COVID-19 patients occurs.
DELAWARE Dover: Dover Air Force Base has issued a shelter-in-place order effective Tuesday. People are still allowed on base with Department of Defense identification.
FLORIDA Fort Lauderdale: Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that he wants to avoid imposing a statewide lockdown like many other states have done, saying he still believes targeting the counties hardest hit by the coronavirus for the most extreme measures is the preferable path.
GEORGIA Atlanta: Counties continued to place restrictions on businesses and gatherings Monday, as cases of the new coronavirus increased to 772. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered schools shut but has refrained from taking stronger steps like ordering restaurants and nonessential businesses to close.
HAWAII Honolulu: All walk-in locations for the Democratic presidential primary that were scheduled for April 4 are canceled. Another round of mail-in ballots will be added.
IDAHO Boise: Boise State University urged students to move away from dormitory-style housing if they can and – like the University of Idaho, Idaho State University and other higher education institutions across Idaho – has moved all classes online.
ILLINOIS Chicago: Ten people were shot, one fatally, during weekend attacks on Chicago’s South and West sides, despite a statewide order that took effect requiring people to stay indoors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday ordered residents to stay at home for two weeks starting Wednesday, except for workers in essential industries or needed trips for groceries and medicine.
IOWA Des Moines: Authorities have been taking steps to cut the number of inmates in the state’s prisons and jails, citing concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus. The Iowa Corrections Department is expediting the placement of about 700 prisoners who are approved for parole or work release, according to spokesman Cord Overton.
KANSAS Topeka: Shelter-in-place orders take effect Tuesday for about a third of the state’s population to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and more could soon follow.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: Gov. Andy Beshear on Sunday ordered nonessential retail businesses to close in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Beshear said auto repair and parts shops are exempt, and businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, drug stores, liquor stores and gas stations will remain open.
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: The number of state residents confirmed to be infected with coronavirus spiked Monday to nearly 1,200 people, and the virus’s death toll grew dramatically overnight, in a troubling trend that had Gov. John Bel Edwards enacting a statewide “stay-at-home” order and planning a televised plea for people to comply.
MAINE Bath: A shipbuilder at Bath Iron Works has tested positive for the new coronavirus, and others who came into contact with the worker will have to self-quarantine, the company said.
MARYLAND Frederick: Liquor sales are booming in parts of the state as the coronavirus spreads. Renee Zacharias, manager of Ballenger Beer and Spirits, told the Frederick News Post customers have said they’re stockpiling beer and liquor in case stores are shuttered as they have been in other states.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all nonessential businesses to close by Tuesday afternoon and remain closed until at least April 7. The Republican governor also said the state Department of Health has issued a stay-at-home advisory but stressed that it wasn’t a shelter-in-place order.
MICHIGAN Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday issued a statewide stay-at-home order to curb the the coronavirus, with exemptions for certain workers, outdoor exercise, and trips to the grocery store or hospital. Whitmer warned of dire results akin to those seen in Italy if people don’t follow her order.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: The state has eliminated its backlog of coronavirus tests that were waiting to be processed, thanks in part to help from the Mayo Clinic, officials from the Minnesota Department of Health said.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Several medical facilities in the state are now providing coronavirus testing to people with fever and “severe cough or chest pain,” and screening began Monday for people to get appointments for a drive-thru testing site that opens Tuesday on the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.
MISSOURI St. Louis: Residents of the state’s biggest cities have been ordered to stay home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, which sickened nearly 130 people statewide.
MONTANA Helena: The state’s two U.S. senators said 16 Montanans who were stuck on the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship are returning to the mainland United States.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: Sandhills Global, the Lincoln Independent Business Association and the Nebraska Retail Federation have jointly announced the launch of a website to support local businesses during this time of uncertainty. The new site, NebraskaBuyLocal.com, provides communities across the region with an opportunity to purchase gift cards and gift certificates from local and independent businesses.
NEVADA Carson City: The governor has announced the formation of a task force to marshal private resources to help the state fight the coronavirus. Gov. Steve Sisolak said that the challenge of fighting the virus “requires some out-of-the-box approaches.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: State officials announced the first death from the coronavirus Monday. State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said at a news conference that the Hillsborough County man, who was over the age of 60, had multiple chronic health conditions and died over the weekend.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: The state Supreme Court has ordered that some county jail inmates be released in an effort to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. Prosecutors can file objections to the release of specific inmates and have a judge hold a hearing.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has given orders to establish a coronavirus testing site in each of the state’s 33 counties, a top public health official told a call-in forum Sunday.
NEW YORK New York: The number of positive coronavirus cases in the state has surged to more than 20,000, with more than half the cases in New York City, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Monday tighter assembly and business restrictions in an attempt to dull the spread of the new coronavirus, including the extended shuttering of K-12 schools until mid-May.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: State officials reported two additional cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 30. Four of those people are hospitalized, the Department of Health said.
OHIO Columbus: The state has more than 350 cases of the new coronavirus and three deaths. The state is limiting testing to those who are hospitalized and to health care workers.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Now is not the time for a statewide shelter-in-place order due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Kevin Stitt said, as the number of people in the state confirmed with the virus now stands at 81.
OREGON Salem: The state reported another COVID-19 death Sunday, Gov. Kate Brown banned residential evictions during the virus outbreak, and beachfront communities continued telling visitors to leave. The death was reported in Linn County, bringing total coronavirus fatalities in Oregon to at least five.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday ordered about 5.5 million residents of the state’s hardest-hit areas to stay home for at least two weeks. He also shuttered all schools statewide for an additional two weeks.
RHODE ISLAND Smithfield: A local factory is ramping up production of specialized face masks in response to the federal fight against the new coronavirus. Honeywell announced Sunday that it plans to hire 500 people at its Smithfield plant to produce millions of N95 disposable respirators.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: An employee at Boeing’s South Carolina production facility has tested positive for COVID-19, the company said Monday. Boeing spokeswoman Libba Holland said the company had asked all workers “who were in close contact” with that employee to self-quarantine at home.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday told South Dakotans to brace for a monthslong fight with COVID-19, as she announced the emergence of seven more cases and signs that it’s spreading in communities.
TENNESSEE Nashville: There’s no set plan in place for how the state will respond to uninsured patients who will inevitably need treatment for coronavirus infections. Gov. Bill Lee said last week that his office is in discussions with the federal government “about the opportunity to explore” using TennCare funds to pay for hospitalization and other treatment related to COVID-19. But his administration has not offered any specifics on the arrangement the state is attempting to negotiate.
TEXAS Austin: An order to stop all nonessential surgeries has unleashed a new battle over access to abortions. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide order Sunday to curb the use of medical supplies hospitals will need as they prepare for escalating infections of COVID-19. The order bars hospitals from performing surgeries unless the patient faces an immediate risk for “serious adverse medical consequences or death, as determined by the patient’s physician.” An Abbott spokesman confirmed that would cover abortion in most cases while the order is in place until April 21.
UTAH Salt Lake City: A Utah congressman who has the new coronavirus was hospitalized over the weekend, and a state lawmaker was also diagnosed with the disease.
VERMONT Burlington: The president of the University of Vermont says remote instruction will continue for the rest of the spring semester, and graduation is unlikely to happen as planned, to help reduce the spread of the new coronavirus.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Public schools will remain closed for the rest of the current school year, and certain types of businesses, like bowling alleys, gyms and theaters, must close in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday.
WASHINGTON Seattle: The coronavirus continues to spread, and a Bellingham health care center was hit especially hard. Shuksan Healthcare Center, a skilled nursing center, had 29 new cases confirmed Sunday, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Most court hearings in the state have been rescheduled to April after the Supreme Court of Appeals issued a judicial emergency amid the coronavirus pandemic.
WISCONSIN Madison: Gov. Tony Evers said Monday that he will order the closure of all nonessential businesses starting Tuesday and is urging people to stay at home to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus that has killed four people in the state and infected hundreds. The order from Evers, which he is calling “safer at home,” comes after he already ordered K-12 schools and a host of other businesses closed.
WYOMING Arapahoe: The Wind River Reservation has recorded its first known case of coronavirus, but health officials doubted it was the only one. The person was tied to a cluster of cases among residents and staff at a Lander assisted-living center, according to Wind River Family and Community Healthcare.