The Brooks Camp Developed Area of Katmai National Park and Preserve is closed due to multiple cases of COVID-19 among residents of the area.
Brooks Camp and the surrounding area closed to all visitors at 12 a.m. this morning. It will remain closed until August 10. The area is still open to park residents and other authorized persons. The remainder of the Katmai Park & Preserve will still be accessible to the public under current local, state, and federal guidelines.
Park officials said in a statement on Monday that the closure came at the request of local health officials after “multiple positive cases of COVID-19 having been detected in the park’s residential community."
Katmai Public Information Officer Amber Kraft says the park will not release the number of cases, the number of residents at Brooks Camp, or details about the nature of the cases at this time, although she added that the individuals are in isolation.
Kraft added that people who were close contacts of the cases at Brooks Camp have been notified, but she did not clarify whether contact tracing was complete, or whether any visitors to the park were among those contacted.
Brooks Camp opened on July 1--a month later than its usual opening day--due to the pandemic.
Contact the author at sage@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.