DENVER – Mesa Verde National Park has become the second national park in the state to close in an effort to stop the relentless spread of coronavirus in Colorado.
The park’s closure, which went into effect at sunset Wednesday, came a few hours after Gov. Jared Polis issued a statewide stay-at-home order for Colorado’s 5.7 million residents.
The closure of Mesa Verde National Park includes the main park road and all loop roads, according to spokeswoman Cristy Brown.
No date was given for the reopening of the national park.
Those stuck at home wishing to take advantage of the many digital tools available to explore Mesa Verde National Park, including their mobile app, podcasts and videos, can do so on the park’s website.
Mesa Verde’s closure comes just five days after Rocky Mountain National Park officials said they would be closing the gates to further prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The official announcement of the closure came several hours after Denver7 obtained a letter from the Mayor of Estes Park, Todd A. Jirsa, in which he asked the federal government to close the park because having it opened presented “a grave public health concern to Estes Park” and surrounding communities.
As of Wednesday evening, more than 1,000 positive cases of the new virus had been reported in the state, resulting in 19 deaths and 148 hospitalizations.
