Popular Lava Tube on Hawaiʻi Island Reopens hawaiimagazine.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hawaiimagazine.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Popular Lava Tube on Hawaiʻi Island Reopens hawaiimagazine.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hawaiimagazine.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
March 5, 2021 at 10:30 am
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park released new statistics showing 2020 had a 57% drop in visitors from 2019. This decrease in number is credited to the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted all National Park Service operations nationwide.
A maximum of 66 national parks were fully closed for two months or more in 2020, including Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, during the governor’s Stay at Home order.
The park has seen a 2% spike in visitors since the holidays continuing on through January and February of 2021.
Volcanoes National Park continues to work with public health officials to navigate changing conditions including following federal and public health guidelines. In a press release Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said, “currently, almost all trails and backcountry areas that were open before the pandemic are open again. We continue to urge everyone to recreate responsibly and maintain physical distance and small group size,
Hawaii Magazine
Due to COVID-19, visitors must wear masks and stay six feet apart.
Dec 22, 2020
But park officials are stressing the importance of safety both because of high amounts of hazardous sulfur dioxide gas and particulates and COVID-19.
The national park on Hawaiʻi Island is open 24 hours a day, which means visitors can witness the billowing plumes of gas and steam by day and the glowing lava in Halemaʻumaʻu crater at night. (I’ve done it before; it’s mesmerizing.) But there are hazards associated with a visit.
“The return of lava to the summit of Kīlauea is a natural wonder, but we need the public to be fully aware that we are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and to recreate responsibly, maintain social distance and to wear a mask,” said Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh. “We want to keep the park open for all to experience this new phase of volcanic activity, and we need visitors to follow safety guidelines that keep everyo