The National Park Service mask requirement for all employees and visitors was announced by the Department of Interior in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
The new policy requires mask wearing in NPS buildings and facilities and on park lands when social distancing can’t be maintained, “including narrow or busy trails, overlooks and historic homes,” the announcement said.
“Getting outside and enjoying our public lands is essential to improving mental and physical health, but we all need to work together to recreate responsibly,” said NPS Office of Public Health Director Captain Sara Newman, in the news release.
The National Park System manages 423 parks covering more than 85 million acres, including national battlefields, memorials and monuments as well as the 63 headliner National Parks that include Grand Canyon National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Top photo at Joshua Tree National Park in California by Mario Tama/Getty Images.