Right now, senior citizens are better off isolated in the RVs on a campground than anywhere else. Some folks can go home, but, others are committed to traveling for years to see the country and have sold their homes knowing they had no plans to be there for a while.
I know what Michigan did and it seems a viable solution. The rustic areas are open and small campers can park there. The larger camper areas with cement parking spots, running water and electricity are open but there are no services. In other words, the RVs are welcome to be in the park and on a reserved camp spot, but, there are no services that may need the assistance of staff.
The same emergency services are available no matter if there is staff or not and it is a phone call away from the local EMS. Now, local in that respect is not necessarily swift, so seniors have to consider all that before they travel. The staff requirements are really minimal at this point and only require a ranger to make rounds once a day to take a census of the park and note any RVs or campers that have not paid the fee or CHECKED-IN. All the campers need to check-in and that can be done remotely in most cases from a phone at the main office which is now closed. It is important the park knows who is there.
Hiking trails is not a good idea and should be prohibited. Park rangers that monitor wildlife can and should continue their work. But, it is the interaction between people that need to be stopped and that can be done on a camp lot whereby people understand that milling around and jumping in a lake is all prohibited.
Stay at Home may actually mean Stay in your RV.
If the parks were to close people would be populating rest areas and that is a worse idea. Rest areas can't be closed because of the exempt activity of truck drivers.
The same emergency services are available no matter if there is staff or not and it is a phone call away from the local EMS. Now, local in that respect is not necessarily swift, so seniors have to consider all that before they travel. The staff requirements are really minimal at this point and only require a ranger to make rounds once a day to take a census of the park and note any RVs or campers that have not paid the fee or CHECKED-IN. All the campers need to check-in and that can be done remotely in most cases from a phone at the main office which is now closed. It is important the park knows who is there.
Hiking trails is not a good idea and should be prohibited. Park rangers that monitor wildlife can and should continue their work. But, it is the interaction between people that need to be stopped and that can be done on a camp lot whereby people understand that milling around and jumping in a lake is all prohibited.
Stay at Home may actually mean Stay in your RV.
If the parks were to close people would be populating rest areas and that is a worse idea. Rest areas can't be closed because of the exempt activity of truck drivers.
2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response (click here)
The National Park Service is modifying its operations on a park-by-park basis in accordance with the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local public health authorities. While most facilities and events are closed or canceled, many of our outdoor spaces remain accessible to the public. Before visiting, please check with individual parks regarding changes to park operations. If you choose to visit a national park, please ensure that you follow CDC and state and local guidelines to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and practice Leave No Trace principles. Updates about the NPS response, including safety information, are posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus.
