Masks now required at US national parks
(CNN) — Face masks are now required in US
national parks when visitors can't maintain physical distance and in
all National Park Service buildings to help protect against the spread
of coronavirus.
The
National Park Service mask requirement for all employees and visitors
was announced by the Department of Interior in a news release Tuesday
afternoon.
"Getting
outside and enjoying our public lands is essential to improving mental
and physical health, but we all need to work together to recreate
responsibly," said NPS Office of Public Health Director Captain Sara
Newman, in the release.
The
new policy requires mask wearing in NPS buildings and facilities and on
park lands when social distancing can't be maintained, "including
narrow or busy trails, overlooks and historic homes," the announcement
said.
"Park
rangers are on duty to uphold normal rules and regulations as well as
this requirement and may issue citations as appropriate for anyone in
violation," an NPS spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Tuesday
evening.
The
National Park System manages 423 parks covering more than 85 million
acres, including national battlefields, memorials and monuments as well
as the 63 headliner National Parks that include Grand Canyon National
Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Parks throughout the system have had closures and adjustments because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The NPS urges visitors to check park websites for operational changes before visiting.
Yosemite
National Park, for example, will begin requiring reservations to drive
into the California park starting on February 8. That means visitors
hoping to spot the late February sunset phenomenon at Horsetail Fall
known as Firefall will have to book early.
NPS has also posted tips online for responsible recreation.
The mask announcement comes after President Joe Biden signed an executive order on his first day in office requiring masks on federal property.
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