Courtesy of Unsplash
Courtesy of Unsplash
In response to the growing concern over the novel coronavirus, the Grand Canyon National Park closed on April 1, but not before locals raised concerns about being put at risk from an influx of visitors to the area.
Park officials had asked the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Department of Interior (DoI) for permission to close earlier but were rebuffed, so instead, it shut down what it could.
By March 31, visitors could only utilize a bank, restrooms and a grocery store at Grand Canyon Village, as well as the trails that are frequented by hikers along the South Rim.
“It is a relief to a lot of people in the park and the community members,” Joelle Baird, park spokesman, told the Albuquerque Journal after the NPS and DoI relented. “We’ve heard from a lot of people being angry and frustrated and uncertain of the direction the Park Service was going.”
The Navajo Nation, Coconino County in Arizona, local officials and even some federal officials pleaded with the NPS and DoI to shut the park down sooner for the safety of residents, tourists and workers, but were told to supply more supporting documentation to justify the shut-down.
“The closure of the park took longer than it should’ve, but we’re glad it’s finally closed,” Navajo President Jonathan Nez told the Journal.
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