Georgia forced to close trails as thousands flock to parks amid coronavirus outbreak

Last weekend, Georgia Department of Natural Resources rangers were forced to close trails after thousands of people descended upon state parks and did not follow social distancing guidelines. At Cloudland Canyon State Park, rangers asked people standing close together at the falls to separate. Local news agency FOX 5 reported that there are only three rangers to patrol the 4,000 acres of the park, so enforcing social distancing rules has been a challenge. 

On Sunday, the Department of Natural Resources announced that they will enforce stricter social distancing at Georgia parks and lakes. “The Department of Natural Resources will enforce the executive order limiting large gatherings with officials patrolling bodies of water and campgrounds,” the agency said in a press release. “They are monitoring coves where people tend to congregate and, if necessary, using bullhorns to tell