ST. GEORGE — Just one day after Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued a statewide coronavirus directive that included limiting visitors of state parks to residents of the counties in which the parks are located, hundreds of visitors converged on Snow Canyon State Park not only from out of county, but out of state as well.

Cars filled the parking lots and roadside pullouts bearing Utah license plates as well as several from Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, Washington and New Mexico. And though the directive specifically asks people not to congregate at trailheads, many people were having picnics in the parking lots on the backs of their cars.

“It’s safe to say the park has been very busy,” Snow Canyon State Park manager, Kristen Comella, said, adding that many people are not practicing safe social distancing.

“People need to take the virus seriously,” she said.

×