OREGON, USA — Oregon’s state park system will likely remain closed through much of May, as officials keep parks closed to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced Tuesday evening that its system-wide closure will continue beyond May 8, the original end date for the closure established on March 22, when all park sites first closed to the public, though officials did not give a reopening date.
The parks department also canceled all overnight and day-use reservations through at least May 25. Officials said the department will eventually make a decision about reservations beyond that, but cautioned that “more cancellations are likely.”
The decision comes a day after Washington’s state park system announced it would partially reopen most of its state park sites on May 5, with the caveat that parks could close again should they become overcrowded.
Oregon state parks spokesman Chris Havel said Tuesday that Washington’s reopening will not necessarily be a blueprint for Oregon state parks.
When Oregon parks do reopen to the public, they won’t all open at once, Havel said. Instead, 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 plan is to begin by reopening day-use sites, followed by camping later on. Parks will technically be ready to begin opening in mid to late-May, Havel said, though that’s not necessarily when they will actually reopen to the public.
--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com
This article was originally published by The Oregonian/Oregonlive, one of more than a dozen news organizations throughout the state sharing their coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak to help inform Oregonians about this evolving health issue.
