TORREY, Utah, April 9, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Capitol Reef National Park will be closed to all park visitors until further notice, which includes all recreational and overnight activities.

“The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners is our number one priority,” said a news release from the National Park Service. “The park service is working servicewide with federal, state, and local authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Cathedral Valley Road, Hartnet Road, State Route 24, Notom-Bullfrog Road, and Burr Trail will remain open to pass-through traffic only.

“We have been working closely with Wayne and Garfield County and the state of Utah to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the state’s ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ order,” park superintendent Sue Fritzke said. “Continued recreational activities in Capitol Reef National Park made it hard to maintain the thresholds needed to ensure a safe visit, which is why this temporary closure is so important. I’d like to express my appreciation to both Wayne and Garfield Counties and the state for helping us keep visitors and our communities safe during this situation.”

The public will be informed when full operations resume. The park will provide updates on the park website www.nps.gov/care and social media channels. The NPS encourages people to take advantage of the many digital tools already available to explore Capitol Reef including on the park website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.