Grand Canyon National Park
Key Messages – Week of April 5, 2021
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This week’s numbers at a glance:
- The average number of new cases per day in Arizona in the last week was 631, slightly higher than the number of 536 per day in the previous week.
- As of Thursday, April 7, the total number of cases in the 86023 zip code since the pandemic began is 196. This number represents cases both inside and outside the park.
- There is one new reported case in the park this week.
- Since the pandemic began, we’ve had 45 total positive COVID-19 cases in the park. To date, and as reported, none of the positive cases resulted from interaction with park visitors.
- More detailed statistics are available on the Coconino County COVID-19 Dashboard.
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Navajo Nation Implements “Soft Reopening”
- The Navajo Nation continues to open operations, with updated executive orders being issued most weeks. The latest executive order, released March 26th, eased additional restrictions including reducing curfew hours and extending business hours.
- Specific guidance for the Navajo Nation can be found on the Navajo Nation website.
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NEW COVID-19 Travel Guidelines from the CDC
This week, the CDC issued new guidelines on domestic travel for fully vaccinated individuals. Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19. People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States:
- Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it
- Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to self-quarantine;
- Fully vaccinated travelers should still follow CDC’s recommendations for traveling safely including: wear a mask over your nose and mouth, stay 6 feet from others and avoid crowds, wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer.
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East Entrance at Desert View Re-opens
Beginning April 8, 2021, visitors traveling to Grand Canyon National Park will be able to enter and exit the park through the East Entrance at Desert View.
Park officials, working with tribal and state officials, stakeholders and community leaders, announced the reopening of the Park’s east entrance gate this week. The east entrance, along Arizona State Highway (Hwy) 64, has been closed since April 1, 2020. The intent of the closure has been to minimize visitor traffic through the Navajo Nation and other communities east of the Park, respecting the health and safety need of park neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Superintendent Ed Keable made the decision to reopen the east gate based on input from the Navajo Nation, along with state and local officials and community members. Keable stated, “over the past year, we have continued to coordinate with local Cameron Chapter and tribal officials from the Navajo Nation, as well as other stakeholders and business leaders on the east gate closure. As vaccine rollouts continue, we recognize the need to normalize our operations and allow for visitors to have a drive-through option on Hwy 64.”
When driving through the Navajo Nation, all roads other than state and federal highways will be closed to non-residential traffic. Mask wearing is required at all locations on the Navajo Nation. For more information on Navajo Nation guidance, please visit the Navajo Department of Health website. No services–including food, gas, and the campground–will be available at Desert View until further notice. These services will open as soon as staffing allows. The nearest services available to Desert View are in Cameron, AZ, about 30 miles east of the Desert View developed area. Other services are currently available on the South Rim in Grand Canyon Village. Credit cards, Your Pass Now, and America the Beautiful passes will be accepted for entry. Cash will not be accepted at this time.
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Public Health Consultant Contact Information
If you test positive or become ill with COVID-19 symptoms, please report your situation to your supervisor and our NPS Public Health Consultant immediately. This is to ensure proper public health protocols are followed and that any exposure to the virus is minimized.
- Ronan King, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Public Health Service
- Mobile: (202) 891-8599
- Email: ronan_king@nps.gov
- For all email correspondence, please also cc: Chris Glime, Captain, U.S. Public Health Service
- Mobile: (202)641-3518
- Email: christen_glime@nps.gov
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This Week’s COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Coconino County and the State of Arizona are opening vaccinations to all persons 16 years of age and up. Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines are only available for adults 18 and up. Pfizer vaccines are available to individuals 16 and up. There are vaccine appointments available at various locations throughout the county. The State and County continue to make significant progress in vaccine administration.
- As of Monday, April 5th:
- More than 208 million vaccine doses have been administered in the US.
- Approximately 32% of adult Americans have received 1 vaccine dose, and nearly 19% are fully vaccinated.
- Approximately 33% of Arizonans have received 1 vaccine dose, and 21% have been fully vaccinated.
- In Coconino County approximately 40% of the population have received the 1st dose, with 29% fully vaccinated.
- Approximately 51% of the population living on the Navajo reservation have been fully vaccinated.
- A record 4 million vaccines were administered across the U.S. on Saturday, April 3 alone.
The Grand Canyon Clinic has now administered 1,690 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine – with 726 individuals now fully vaccinated. The clinic has an additional 130 doses scheduled for this week.
- To schedule an appointment, call the clinic directly at 928.638.2551.
- The clinic has attempted to contact all individuals who have requested vaccination, but challenges continue to exist with full or non-working voicemail inboxes as well as the clinic not getting calls back from those with whom they have left voicemails. With this in mind, any individuals who have requested a vaccine and have yet to be scheduled should call the clinic to request an appointment.
- New requests for vaccines have slowed, so the clinic has stopped online registration and requests that individuals now call the clinic to request vaccine appointments.
- As vaccine coverage in our community improves, it becomes much harder to find last minute replacements for cancellations. Last week the clinic had to “waste” its first vaccine dose as they were unable to find a timely replacement for a last minute cancellation. Some of the cancellations seem to be a result of the high demands on employees during the last couple of weeks, so hopefully that will improve as Spring Break subsides.
- As a reminder, any individuals (16 and up for Pfizer and 18 and up for Moderna and Johnson and Johnson) are eligible for vaccinations. It’s never been easier to set up an appointment: we finally have plenty of vaccines available for all community members. Please get the vaccine in order to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our community.
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COVID-19 Testing Details
- The Grand Canyon Clinic has hours for COVID testing on Wednesdays from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. If you need a test outside of this hour, you need an order from your health care provider indicating a test is warranted.
- In Flagstaff, COVID testing is available at Coconino Community College at 2800 South Lone Tree Road, and the NAU Fieldhouse at 1050 Knoles Drive.
- Testing is also available at other locations in Flagstaff, including:
- Walgreens on 4th Street
- NextCare Urgent Care
- The Veterans Affairs Clinic
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Messages and Grand Canyon News
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Hot Days and High Visitation!
Phantom Ranch tied its hottest April 3rd record at 97 degrees, a temperature that hasn’t been seen since 1961. Remember: if it’s sunny and in the 70s at the rim, it can be 25 degrees hotter in the inner canyon.
The park has been particularly busy over the past couple of weeks and will continue to be busy through this Spring Break period. Lines at the entrance station are routinely reaching into Tusayan and wait times are often over an hour.
As a reminder, give yourselves plenty of time to enter the park and avoid travelling into the park during the busiest times of day, which seem to be between 8am and 5pm.
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International Dark Sky Week
International Dark Sky Week is this week from April 5-12. Grand Canyon National Park became an International Dark Sky Park in 2019. To date, the park has replaced nearly 3,500 fixtures to be International Dark Sky compliant, the largest retrofit of any International Dark Sky Park.
The Park is a leader in dark sky outreach and hosts programs such as the annual Grand Canyon Star Party, the largest such astronomy event in the National Park Service. Check out the Grand Canyon Night Skies website for more information on Grand Canyon’s efforts to preserve the night.
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Work Begins On Silver Bridge April 13th
Beginning April 13 and continuing until May 7, 2021, visitors hiking along the Bright Angel trail near Phantom Ranch will experience a closure of the Silver Bridge, which crosses the Colorado River near Phantom Ranch. The closure will prohibit hikers from crossing the bridge Monday – Friday, 8am until 5pm, as necessary repair work is completed on electrical utilities.
Hikers should be prepared to either route their hike over the Black Bridge at the base of the South Kaibab Trail or plan on crossing the Silver Bridge before 8am or after 5pm from Monday – Friday. The route across the Black Bridge will add about one mile (1 mi) to the Bright Angel Trail for hikers accessing Phantom Ranch. Access across the Silver Bridge will be unaffected Saturdays and Sundays during the repairs.
In addition to the Silver Bridge closure, hikers may see temporary interruption along the River Trail between Pipe Creek and the Silver Bridge. The River Trail will remain open and hikers may experience brief temporary delays as crews work on utility lines near the trail.
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April Bat Surveys Underway
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Last week, park wildlife personnel captured bats for two nights at Indian Garden and Phantom Ranch. Here is a brief update from Park biologist Brandon Holton:
We sampled 26 bats from 7 different species for presence of a specific fungus that is the causative agent of White Nose Syndrome in bats.
White Nose Syndrome is a disease that affects hibernating bats and is responsible for millions of bat mortalities across the continental US.
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- Low levels of this fungus were detected in a single bat here in 2019, but the disease, White Nose Syndrome, has NOT been found in GRCA.
- Collecting samples involves swabbing the wing and tail membranes, as well as the muzzles of bats.
- Samples will be analyzed at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and Pathogen and Microbial Institute at Northern Arizona University.
- More mist netting, which involves capturing bats using a thin net strung up in bat flight paths, will be happening this week on the South Rim.
- Grand Canyon is home to over 20 species of bats.
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Taking Care of Ourselves and Coworkers
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A Message from Superintendent Ed Keable
I want to reiterate the importance of taking care of ourselves, our coworkers, our friends, and our family. These are difficult times for all of us. I encourage everyone to take care of yourselves and your colleagues. If you need time off, take time off. If you see a colleague struggling, support them. We need to care for ourselves and each other.
Because there is so much work that we all have to do here, caring for the people we work with can get lost in the great workload shuffle. Now is a time when we all must be mindful or our responsibilities to care for ourselves and for our coworkers. As I noted in recent emails, the pandemic has been hard on many of us. The recent suicides of friends and colleagues highlights our responsibility as leaders to take care of our people.
Please know that there is always help available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is 1-800-273-8255. If you prefer to text, the Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting CONNECT to 741741 to chat with a Crisis Counselor.
Another great resource is CADR’s bimonthly one-hour Virtual Resilience Café on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 12:00pm EDT.
Zoom link to join:
Meeting ID: 160 455 4458
Password: 684872
The purpose of these sessions is to 1) cultivate our resilience through mindfulness-oriented skill building, stress-management practices, which include breathing and movement, and 2) build community and connection in these particularly uncertain and unprecedented times.
I encourage you to take steps to support your mental health and physical wellbeing as we continue to navigate the later stages of the pandemic.
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Current Operational Updates
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Desert View Accessibility
- The East entrance gate is open to traffic on Highway 64.
- All facilities remain closed, including all facilities operated by NPS, Grand Canyon Conservancy, and Delaware North.
Weekly Concessions updates:
The following Concessions services will be available this week:
- The Fred Harvey Food Truck will be located at the El Tovar / Hopi House area from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Seven days per week, weather permitting.
- Maswik Gift Shop has expanded its hours to 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Desert View Trading Post, Ice Cream and Gas Station did not open as planned last weekend due to staffing shortages. We will provide a new opening date once it is available.
- Canyon View Market Deli is currently closed. To help compensate for the closure, the Canyon View Market will open at 7a.m., additional Breakfast items will be available at the Yavapai Coffee Shop (open 7 AM – 1 PM), and Lunch and Dinner will be available at Yavapai Tavern (open 12 PM – 9 PM).
The following park closures remain in place:
- Desert View services
- All residential areas
- South Rim Visitor Center and Headquarters
- South Rim Backcountry Information Center
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Have questions for our weekly employee or community calls?
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