Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park and Charles Pinckney National Historic Site are beginning to increase recreational access to park grounds
Sullivan’s Island, SC - Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park (NHP) and Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (NHS) are increasing recreational access. The National Park Service (NPS) is working service wide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.
Beginning Thursday, May 28, 2020, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie NHP and Charles Pinckney NHS will reopen access to:
* Fort Moultrie Visitor Center parking lot (half capacity), portable restrooms, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
* Fort Moultrie dock, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
* Charles Pinckney NHS parking lot, grounds, and restrooms, Wednesday - Sunday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
In addition, the following spaces continue to be available:
* Liberty Square Visitor Education Center grounds
* Fort Moultrie grounds outside of the fort
With public health in mind, the following facilities remain closed to the public at this time:
* Fort Sumter, including boat tours
* Liberty Square Visitor Education Center
* Fort Moultrie and Battery Jasper interiors
* Fort Moultrie Visitor Center and restrooms
* Historic house at Charles Pinckney NHS
Park entrance fees at Fort Moultrie will be waived until the fort is reopened for tours.
“The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners continues to be paramount," stated Superintendent Tracy Stakely. “By following CDC public health guidelines, we are working to ensure visitors and staff can remain safe. We encourage park users to visit responsibility, take all necessary precautions, and follow established guidance to help us keep our parks safe. We look forward to seeing our visitors again."
At Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie NHP and Charles Pinckney NHS, our operational approach will be to examine each facility function and service provided to ensure those operations comply with current public health guidance and will be regularly monitored. We continue to work closely with the NPS Office of Public Health using CDC guidance to ensure public and workspaces are safe and clean for visitors, employees, partners, and volunteers.
While these areas are accessible for visitors to enjoy, a return to full operations will continue to be phased and services may be limited. When recreating, the public should follow local area health orders, practice Leave No Trace principles, avoid crowding and avoid high-risk outdoor activities.
The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating in parks and open spaces prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19 and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health.
Details and updates on park operations will continue to be posted on our websites www.nps.gov/fosu and www.nps.gov/chpi and social media channels. Updates about NPS operations will be posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus.
www.nps.gov
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Tags: adaptive recovery phased access phased opening covid-19
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
