On May 18th Yellowstone made a huge decision to reopen the Wyoming entrances and since then peoples fingers have been crossed that people stay safe and healthy. So far so good as the park tested 43 non-symptomatic front-line employees for COVID-19 on May 28th and 29th and all test results came back negative
All first responders, concession workers, national park service and anyone working in the public will continue to be tested throughout the summer in order to keep everyone’s safety a main priority. This “surveillance testing” as they are calling it has two main advantages:
1) the ability to know if someone is carrying the disease even if no symptoms are shown, and
2) knowledge of who carries the virus, so they can be quickly isolated.
About 100 tests should be given this week in Yellowstone.
Superintendent of the park Cam Sholly had this to say about the situation: “This is the most aggressive employee surveillance testing being conducted in the National Park System,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly. “We couldn’t do this without our partners in the states and counties. Our goal is to detect positive COVID-19 cases as early as possible, so we can isolate and support those employees, while reducing chances of spreading the virus. Information gained from this program will inform management decisions.”
The State of Wyoming has been very recessive to the park’s needs and has helped tremendously in the surveillance testing efforts.
