Debate on keeping national parks open during coronavirus pandemic intensifies as NPS confirms 7 employees have tested positive
, including some of its most popular landmarks — the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Statue of Liberty and the Arches and Yellowstone national parks. But more than 300 sites remain open, and the government has waived entrance fees.
But many rank-and-file employees are afraid of transferring the illness to family members, said Dustin Stone, a Park Service worker in Alaska who quit about two weeks ago over Bernhardt’s refusal to close the parks. Like some park superintendents and leaders in neighboring communities, Stone is pressing to close parks during the outbreak.
But many of the restrictions were implemented after visitors crowded onto paths, camps and overlooks, potentially spreading the virus. The alerts do not inform visitors that some staff have been infected. The Park Service said there was little chance that those who tested positive could have spread the virus to a visitor.In the weeks leading to the infections of workers, according to several park staffers, top officials appeared to minimize the impact of the outbreak.
Trevor Wright was one of several workers at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park sent home Thursday over concerns about exposure to the virus.
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