Rural areas are receiving a huge influx of road-trip tourists during COVID-19: Here’s how small towns are handling it, and what they're asking of their visitors.
Entering the town of Jackson, Wyoming, you’re greeted by two things: First, an expanse of rolling plains that, if you’re lucky, may have some elk grazing on them. And second, a giant sign lit with the following message:As a gateway to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks as well as a world-class ski area, Jackson has long been a perennial American tourist destination.
With international borders closed, more and more people are taking domestic trips. This summer, Jackson has seen around 40,000 visitors a day, which is at, or sometimes above, the numbers the town saw in 2019. In mid-July, Teton County’s COVID-19—those infected were a mix of locals, seasonal workers, and travelers.
At the Four Seasons Jackson Hole, the operation is courteous yet strict. Guests’ temperatures are taken at the entrance, hand sanitizer is in every elevator, and complimentary masks are in every room. To visit the pool, you use the app to make a reservation, which ensures proper sanitation between guests and prevents overcrowding. In the lobby, they only allow one-way foot traffic.
In town, playful posters show various animals with face coverings—“mask up,” reads one at the local bakery—a friendly yet firm reminder of the town’s required mask ordinance that was enacted in late July. Yet, in the nearby Jackson town square, barefaced tourists grinned as they posed for pictures in front of the famous antler arch.
Navajo Nation—a Native American territory covering parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico—was hit hard by the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic: In mid-May, they had the highest per capita infection rate
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