California State Parks today announced it is temporarily closing vehicle access at all 280 state parks to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
On Saturday, many state parks once again experienced visitation surges that made it impossible for the public to implement appropriate social/ physical distancing practices. During this pandemic disease, every person has a role to play in slowing down the spread of COVID-19. Protecting individuals, families and communities comes down to common sense.
As such, the public is reminded to adhere to the following guidance:
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Stay close to home when you get outdoors. This is not the time for a road trip to a destination park or beach.
- Venture out only with people in your immediate household.
- Walk around the neighborhood and enjoy neighborhood parks.
- Always maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or more when recreating in the outdoors. If you cannot maintain physical distancing, leave the park.
- Do not congregate in parks.
To date, the department has implemented various safety measures such as temporarily closing all campgrounds, museums and visitor centers in the State Parks System; cancelling all events; and closing vehicular traffic at certain parks and beaches, and fully closing others.
California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting Californians from COVID-19. State Parks is monitoring the situation closely and is following guidance provided by the Governor’s Office via the California Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Protecting visitors and all who take care of state parks from the exposure to the pandemic disease is a top priority for the State of California.
State Parks will continue to monitor visitation and physical distancing at all state park units, and if the safety measures implemented thus far are not sufficient to protect public health, additional measures may be taken to fully close parks, including trails, bathrooms and other amenities.
State Parks has developed a one-stop resource center––www.parks.ca.gov/FlattenTheCurve––to find park safety and closure information, and messaging and graphics from the “Flatten the COVID-19 Curve at Parks” social media awareness campaign. Please check this webpage regularly, as it will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
I live in Groveland Ca. which is 28 miles from the Hwy. 120 Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park. Even though the Park was officially closed on 3/19/20, there is a steady stream of RV’s and Fifth Wheels heading up the Hwy. 120 corridor heading to PRIVATELY owned and operated Campgrounds and Recreation Parks such as Thousand Trails Naco West and Yosemite Pines RV Park.
These people are continuing to disregard the current stay away request from Tuolumne Co. and the Governors orders to Stay home in the their county of residence. We are currently experiencing a large influx of 2nd home owners in PML who also flooded in when the State wide order was issued. This is putting a major strain on our Only small market that also serves the Greeley Hill and Coulterville Populations. PML (Pine Mountain Lake ) is a Retirement Community which means the majority of our residents are over the age of 60 and at higher risk of Covid-19, and many are forced to travel distances of over 30 miles and more to find needed food and supplies because of shortages in our local market.
Shouldn’t the public Campground Closures include the privately owned Campgrounds and Resorts that are still open to the public? Many do not require membership.