COVID-19 Found In Yosemite National Park

Above, a sunrise view of Yosemite Valley. Photo y Armand Vaquer.

Gee, I hope the bears and deer are okay.

The following story concerns Yosemite National Park in California. It seems that COVID-19 has showed up in the park, but not in a way one would expect.

From The Hill:

After initially closing at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of national parks in the U.S. have gradually reopened to visitors, providing a welcome reprieve for those stuck at home under restrictions and lockdowns.  

Until recently, Yosemite National Park was reporting that none of its visitors, employees or residents were known to have contracted the coronavirus. Then they tested the park’s sewage.  

Last week, lab analysis of feces at two wastewater treatment plants revealed the presence of the coronavirus, leading experts to believe almost 200 Yosemite visitors — particularly over the Fourth of July holiday — may have been infected, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.  

“It’s one thing to live in denial: We live in the mountains, no one’s sick,” Eric Sergienko, the health officer for Mariposa County, the home of Yosemite, told the Chronicle. “But we can now confirm it’s here.”

To read more, go here.