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These views will still be here after this all blows over. Now is not the time for a desert vacation. Max Ritter photo.
Earlier this week, the Southeast Utah Health Department issued an order closing lodging facilities and campgrounds around Moab to visitors, in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19 by stopping the flow of outside visitors. Moab and the surrounding area are traditionally full of visitors looking to rock climb, mountain bike, or visit National Parks this time of year. With schools and workplaces closing around the country, it became clear that Moab was thought of as a quarantine “destination,” which would have severely strained the already limited medical and emergency resources in the area. Moab’s hospital is simply not set up to care for a pandemic, so limiting the number of humans in the area was the only logical step. It is unclear how long these restrictions will last.
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The public health order specifically requires hotels, lodges, and all forms of campgrounds (including dispersed camping) to no longer accept reservations from anyone other than “essential visitors,” officially classified as those coming to the area for business.
Other mountain towns around the country, like Truckee and Mammoth Lakes, California are asking visitors to stay away, even though the idea of escaping to the mountains might seem appealing. Truckee, Aspen, and even Jackson Hole are now reporting cases of the virus, and locals are taking every measure they can to self-isolate and help stop the spread of COVID-19.
