Yellowstone stays open despite calls to close gates as coronavirus spreads
County officials surrounding Yellowstone are calling on the national park to shut its gates to the public as coronavirus spreads.
Park and Gallatin county officials in Montana have asked park Superintendent Cam Sholly to close the park amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Missoulian. Sholly told the Missoulian that the park will continue to stay open.
“Yellowstone has received a substantial number requests to temporarily close, from state and local partners, including the governors of Montana and Wyoming, health officials from all surrounding counties, and local government leadership,” Sholly said in a statement to McClatchy News. “The park began receiving these requests late in the day on Sunday, March 22, through today and we immediately began conversing with National Park Service and the Department of the Interior to determine the best course of action. I have been in direct contact with the governors, many local leaders, and health officials within our gateway communities and counties.”
Yellowstone officials said last week that the park would be open with “modifications to operations,” according to a parks news release.
“Unlike other national parks around the country that are in the midst of their busy seasons, Yellowstone is plowing roads to get ready for spring opening as it does every year at this time,” the park said in the news release. “Most roads and facilities are not scheduled to open until April 17 through early June.
“In the time between now and those scheduled openings, park managers will continue to evaluate and adapt to changing COVID-19 guidance and adjust operations as needed. As of now, the park intends to maintain the regular opening schedule.”
County officials, however, are worried tourists visiting the area could lead to a COVID-19 outbreak in neighboring counties, according to the Montana Free Press.
“If you fail to take action to curtail this mass migration of tourists, it will imperil the ability of local health care, public health, and government resources and may cost lives,” Matt Kelley, health officer of the Gallatin City-County Health Department, said in a letter to Sholly and U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, according to the Free Press.
The National Park Service has urged visitors to “do their part” when visiting a park by practicing social distancing, washing hands often and staying home if feeling sick. All park entrance fees have been waived as coronavirus spreads to help more people get outdoors.
Several parks have seen crowds form as people flock to outdoor spaces, looking for a way to get out of the house under stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders. In 2019, about 4 million people visited the park, according to data from the National Park Service.
“It is imperative that you understand that Yellowstone is not simply an expanse of wide open land,” Kelley wrote, according to the Missoulian. “It is a massive tourist attraction that attracts millions of people to our communities from all over the world. Most of those tourists congregate in visitor’s centers, rest rooms, gift shops, restaurants, and park attractions.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 4:26 PM.