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On this Saturday, January 5, 2019, visitors to Great Smoky Mountain National Park pass through the park, but facilities such as the Sugarlands and Cades Cove Visitor Centers in Townsend, Tennessee, have been announced . Work to reopen all of its parks as quickly as possible, but some parks may not open immediately, depending on the size and complexity of their staff. The Virgin Islands National Park, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Great Smoky Mountains National Park are among the parks that reopened on Saturday, January 26, 2019. Grand Canyon National Park has declared that it would be fully operational this week.
(Robert Berlin / The Daily Times via AP, File)
MINNEAPOLIS – Park guards again welcomed visitors to some US national parks and air operations at major airports are returned to normal on Saturday. , one day after the end of a partial government shutdown.
While there were signs that some government machines were coming back to life after 35 days without funding, many federal employees and their families cautiously approached the end of the closure. , stressing that they were relieved to receive their paychecks again, but would continue to limit their spending while they feared a new halt in a few weeks.
"You can only be happy because you have to know that this could happen again," said Rachel Malcom, whose husband serves in the Coast Guard in Rhode Island. "We are going to catch up, so I do not want to spend too much."
President Donald Trump on Friday signed a short-term agreement to end the partial closure of the government, which forced 800,000 federal employees to miss two paychecks. The administration asked the department heads to reopen the offices "in a fast and orderly manner".
Many government agencies still had ads on their website on Saturday, in which they indicated that they were not working fully due to lack of credit. The calls to several agencies also went unanswered, with voice messages indicating that the offices were closed due to closure. But many parks, from the US Virgin Islands to Minnesota, were thrilled to open their doors to weekend visitors.
John Anfinson, superintendent of the Mississippi River and his recreation area, said he was happy to tell his employees to open Mississippi. Visitor Center of the river. He texted his manager and said, "Shut the door!"
"They were just waiting for the green light," he said. Park warden Sharon Stiteler posted a video on Twitter that showed the gates of the center with the word "Weeeee!"
The Visitor Center, located in the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota, saw 180 visitors from its first hour of operation, said Anfinson, and when it was arrested, the employees had "a big smile."
The National Parks Service stated that it was working to reopen all of its parks as quickly as possible, but some parks might not open immediately. depending on the size and complexity of their staff. The Virgin Islands National Park, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Wright Brothers National Memorial and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are among the parks that reopened on Saturday.
And Yellowstone National Park officials announced that visitor centers would reopen by Sunday afternoon. The majority of staff returning Monday to start processing a backlog of license applications, including those requesting to search the park.
Mike Litterst, National Parks Service Chief Spokesperson, said more than 400 parks across the country were reopening on a slippery calendar. Some of the parks that were partially open and accessible during closure are expected to resume operations sooner.
"We are certainly grateful to all our dedicated rangers and our park service staff to return to work," said Litterst.
In the New York area, airport operations returned to normal, just one day after LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, which had suffered delays of at least 90 minutes because of of the closure, which had an effect of driving the system. On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that flights to LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airports landed and departed Saturday morning with 15 minutes late. According to the FAA website, no other major delays have been recorded across the country.
Some parts of the government have taken a little longer to open.
The Smithsonian Museums and the Washington National Zoo planned to reopen to the public on Tuesday. Spokesperson, Linda St. Thomas, said that until then, employees will check all audiovisual and interactive exhibits to make sure everything is working properly and the curators will conduct a final exposure audit. Cafeterias will also be replenished and food shipments will resume, but full food service may not be available immediately.
Nigel Fields, director of the Virgin Islands National Park, said donations left the park primarily open during the peak tourist season. But, he said, the concern over another closure is worrisome. The park covers about 60% of the island of Saint John, which was affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. This closure has affected the ability of the park service to continue the reconstruction, to strengthen the coral reef and restore native vegetation after storms. [19659005] For working families, the reopening of the government is accompanied by a mixture of relief and fear. Those who were laid off or required to work without pay will receive a salary backlog, but it is unclear when this will happen.
Crystal Simmons, whose husband is serving with the Coast Guard in Connecticut, said that it would probably take some time to process the backlog processing Employees could end up in the same situation if another stop occurred.
"I do not think I can really relax and return to the current situation," she said.
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