SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 17, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced Friday that all Utah State parks that were open only to residents of their local counties yesterday are now open to all Utahns.
As part of the previous directive in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, only residents of Davis County could visit Antelope Island State Park in Davis County, for example. Now any Utah resident is welcome to visit any state park that is open.
Some of Utah’s 43 state parks have been closed by local counties, and those will remain closed until the counties make the decision to reopen, Herbert said.
Likewise, admission decisions about any National Parks located in Utah will be made at a national level, Herbert said. He said he hopes they can soon be reopened, at least to Utah residents.
COVID-19 guidelines — which include social distancing, mask wearing and frequent hand washing — will still be in place. People who have not been in quarantine together are asked to stay six feet or more apart.
Herbert also said at a Friday news conference that those who are at greater risk from COVID-19 — due to being 60 or older, or having diminished immunity or existing health challenges — are asked to be conservative in how much they expose themselves to the larger community. Those at increased risk are urged to make wise decisions based on their own circumstances, he said.
A State Park COVID-19 website, which promises updates but had not yet been updated with Herbert’s new directive as of Friday afternoon, can be found by clicking here.
