Yosemite National Park closed to public to prevent spread of coronavirus
To help curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), Yosemite National Park closed to visitors at 3 p.m. Friday, Yosemite officials announced after the closure began.
The popular California park, which had more than 4.5 million visitors last year, will be closed until further notice.
Modifications to park operations were made at the request of the local health department, Yosemite officials said.
The closure will be enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mariposa and Tuolumne County public health departments, which cover Yosemite, reported on their websites that there are currently no confirmed coronavirus cases in their counties.
Residents and employees of the park are allowed in Yosemite.
To the south, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks reported they remained open on Friday, with limited services and closed lodges, restaurants and campgrounds. They closed to all visitors on Wednesday, according to the National Park Service.
Entrance is now free to parks that are open, the National Park Service announced Wednesday.
Yosemite hotels, restaurants, campgrounds and many other facilities closed earlier this week to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.
At that time, some Yosemite employees also received information from the park’s concessionaire, Yosemite Hospitality, a subsidiary of Aramark, stating start dates for employees would be delayed until at least March 31, and employees coming back into the park would not be allowed to check into Yosemite housing until an opening date is confirmed with the Park Service.
Park Service and Aramark officials have not responded to questions about what will happen to Yosemite employees during the closure.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Yosemite National Park closed to public to prevent spread of coronavirus."
