Published on : Wednesday, April 29, 2020
On Tuesday, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department officially announced that its system-wide closure will continue beyond May 8. All park sites were closed to the public towards the end of March but officials did not give a specific date of reopening back then. Parks department has also canceled all overnight and day-use reservations at least till May 25.
Officials said the department will eventually make a decision about reservations after that. They also warned that more cancellations are likely to happen if the situation does not get better. Chris Havel, Oregon state parks spokesman said in a statement that Washington’s reopening will not necessarily be a blueprint for Oregon state parks.
He mentioned when Oregon parks reopen to the public, they would not open all at once. He said that the department will make a decision for each park, based on staffing, supplies, and whether the local community is prepared to handle an influx of visitors.
The statement was made as the action arrived a day after Washington’s state park system announced it would partially reopen most of its state parks on May 5. However, it was also mentioned that parks might be closed down again if they become overcrowded.
The plan is to begin by reopening day-use sites, followed by camping later on. Havel informed that the parks should technically be ready to begin opening in mid to late-May though it continues to remain if they will actually reopen to the public in the same time period.
Tags: Coronavirus, Oregon, Oregon State Parks