You Now Have To Follow A New Rule At US National Parks

If you plan on visiting a United States National Park in the near future, you might want to remember to pack extra masks.

The National Parks Service (NPS) issued a new order on Tuesday requiring all employees and visitors to wear face masks in parts of all 423 of the organization's managed parks.

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Getting outside and enjoying our public lands is essential to improving mental and physical health, but we all need to work together to recreate responsibly. Sara Newman with NPS

In order to limit the spread of COVID-19, face masks are now required to be worn in all NPS buildings and facilities.

Masks are also required to be worn in parts of the park where social distancing cannot be maintained, including narrow or busy trails, overlooks and historic homes.

"Wearing a mask around others, physical distancing, and washing your hands are the simplest and most effective public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19," said Newman. 

Additional safety measures have been taken throughout national parks such as capacity limits on one-way trails and even temporary closures in some places.

"We will continue to evaluate operations and make appropriate modifications to visitor services as needed," said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge. 

The NPS assures that park rangers are on duty to help enforce these precautions and provide any information needed by visitors.