Cooper Lake State Park included in shutdowns
Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission to close all state parks and historic sites “as part of the state’s efforts to strengthen social distancing practices and prevent gatherings of large groups of people,” a statement issued Tuesday morning by Abbott’s office read.
The closure includes nearby Cooper Lake State Park.
“Given the myriad of challenges and heightened risks of operating the parks at this time, we believe this is the best course of action right now in order to meet the health and safety expectations the state has set out for the citizens of Texas,” said Carter Smith, executive director of TPWD. “All state parks will remain temporarily closed until public health and safety conditions improve. During the closure, staff will continue to steward and care for the parks to ensure they can be immediately reopened to visitors at the appropriate time.”
TPWD cited difficulty in ensuring compliance with social distancing, problems maintaining adequate supplies and sufficient sanitizing as challenges park staff have encountered.
While parks are closed to the public, staff will be working to help maintain the standard upkeep, maintenance, stewardship and continued regular cleaning of site facilities, a statement issued by TPWD read.
“Social distancing is our best tool to curb the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” said Gov. Abbott. “The temporary closure of our state parks and historic sites will help us achieve this goal by preventing the gathering of large groups of people. I urge all Texans to continue to stay at home except for essential services as we respond to COVID-19. By following these social distance practices, we will overcome this challenge together.”
For anyone who has made purchases for passes and reservations, the Texas State Parks Customer Service Center said it is currently working toward contacting customers with upcoming overnight reservations to reimburse stays booked through the reservation system. Group and facility reservations have been cancelled until April 30. Cancelled reservations will not be charged normal administrative fees.
Day passes purchased through the reservation system and not associated to the Texas State Parks Pass will be refunded without penalties. The Texas State Parks Customer Service Center will automatically process cancellations of both overnight and day-use reservations. Any reservation impacted by a facility or park closure, a Customer Service Center agent will contact the person who made the reservation. The Center requests that anyone qualifying for a refund not contact them.
“We are contacting customers in order of arrival date and appreciate your patience,” a statement read.
The closures began at 5 p.m. Tuesday; they will remain closed until further directed by the governor.
Calls to Cooper Lake State Park were not immediately returned.