NPS chases away visitors as pandemic worsens

摘要

After suspending entry fees and urging the public to visit national parks just last week, the National Park Servicereversed course at many of its sites over the weekend and began chasing people away to ease overcrowding.On Friday night, park officials shut down Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado after the mayor of nearbyEstes Park complained to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt that an influx of visitors posed "a grave public healthconcern."On Saturday, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia asked the public to "please stay away" from its most populartrails as officials worried the park could no longer follow federal guidelines on social distancing.And yesterday, park officials and police in Washington blocked roads near the National Mall and pleaded withvisitors to forgo a trip to the Tidal Basin to see the city's famous cherry trees at peak bloom.