The National Park Service implemented a mask requirement Tuesday for all employees, visitors and contractors in its parks and facilities, including Colorado’s Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde national parks.

Face masks must be worn indoors at all times and outdoors whenever social distancing cannot be maintained, including on narrow or busy trails and overlooks.

“Wearing a mask around others, physical distancing and washing your hands are the simplest and most effective public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Sara Newman with NPS.

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“We all need to work together to recreate responsibly.”

This comes after President Joe Biden issued an executive order last month, requiring masks to be worn in federal buildings and on federal lands, in addition to following all public health measures from the Centers for Disease Control.

NPS has also implemented additional measures at individuals parks including capacity limits, one-way trails and temporary closures.

At Rocky Mountain National Park, the Beaver Meadows, Fall River and Kawuneeche visitor centers remain open but are operating at limited capacity. RMNP has not yet said how it will be implementing the new mask policy.

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“Working with public health officials and following the latest science and guidance, we can make national parks safer for employees, visitors and partners,” said Shawn Benge with NPS.

Benge said NPS will continue to evaluate its operations and make modifications to visitor services as are necessary.

Visitors are asked to check individual park websites for details on public health measures before they visit. Tips on how to recreate responsibly are available at nps.gov.