National Parks are crowded despite coronavirus. Park workers want them to shut down

More than 1,000 retired, former and current National Park Service employees are calling on the U.S. Department of the Interior secretary to close all national parks during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, a nonprofit organization of NPS employees, wrote a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt asking him to close public access to the parks

“We are writing to express our grave concerns that, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most popular attractions in many national parks, such as the Grand Canyon, Shenandoah and Zion, remain open and easily accessible to park visitors,” coalition Chair Philip A. Francis, Jr. wrotein the letter. “It is frightening that you continue to allow and encourage park visitation.”

Currently, the National Park Service is “modifying its operations on a park-by-park basis,” according to the NPS website. Each park has different guidelines and has shut down different areas.

Popular parks like Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain have all shut their gates, along with several other parks.

Other popularparks, however, have stayed open.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, which saw nearly 6 million visitors in 2019, remains open with some modifications like campgrounds being closed.

Zion National Park in Utah, which had more than 4 million visitors last year, is also open and very busy. Park officials are openly worried about social distancing.

“We are concerned that current visitation patterns are not meeting current CDC guidance on social distancing,” Zion park said on Instagram while sharing photos of packed areas. “If you are coming to the park, please choose to visit areas that are not crowded to allow for adequate social distancing.”

Earlier this month Bernhardt made the decision to waive all entrance fees to national parks to encourage people to practice social distancing in public lands, McClatchy News reported.

Since then, many visitors have headed to the national parks as they’re one of few places to go during stay-at-home orders.

The coalition thinks it’s only a matter of time before more NPS employees test positive for COVID-19, according to the letter..

At least seven National Park Service workers have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Washington Post.

“In this time of crisis we believe that the absolute PRIORITY of the Department and the NPS should be to safeguard employee and public health,” the letter said. “Now is the time to close public access to parks when and where appropriate and practical. We urge that you and NPS leaders in Washington, D.C., do so by fully supporting, rather than overruling or conveying uncertainty, decisions made by park superintendents under their existing authority to close parks or limit public use.”