Grand Canyon National Park Weekly Wrap-up — Dec. 13-17, 2021

COVID News

Hold on Contractors/CUA/Concessioner vaccine requirements

On December 7, a federal district court issued an order barring enforcement of the vaccination mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors contained in Executive Order (EO) 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors.

As a result, the NPS will stand down on implementing vaccination requirements for contractors and holders of contract-like instruments subject to EO 14042, including concessioners, commercial use authorization holders, covered commercial lessees, and cooperating associations. As such, all Grand Canyon concessionaires and CUA holders have been notified of this recent change through the Park’s Commercial Services Division.

Vaccine Events Recapped

Thank you to Coconino County Health and Human Services for sponsoring last week’s wildly popular vaccination events at the Rec Center and at the Tusayan IMAX. In total, there were 264 individuals who received vaccines between both events, including more than 150 at the Rec Center alone. A special thank you to the Grand Canyon Rec Center and the Tusayan Fire Departmentfor helping manage check-ins and lines.

Thank you to the Grand Canyon Clinic (North Country Healthcare) for providing a vaccine booster event on December 11 where 77 individuals were vaccinated. The Clinic will administer additional booster doses tomorrow, December 17. For an appointment, please call the Clinic directly to schedule. Following Friday’s event, the clinic does not anticipate any additional booster events until after the holidays.

We are still in discussions with the County to be able to have additional vaccine events, including for children ages 5-11 in the near future. We will share more information with you all when it becomes available.

Arizona and Grand Canyon Community Statistics

Case numbers in Arizona decreased this week to 3,353 new cases per day compared to last week’s average of 4,038 per day. As of Tuesday, there have been a total of 277 cases in the 86023 zip code since the beginning of the pandemic (of these, approximately 76 cases are in the park).

Coconino County reports the Grand Canyon community is 71.1% fully vaccinated as of December 10.

Public Health Contacts

Ronan King, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Public Health Service

Mobile: (202) 891-8599, Email: ronan_king@nps.gov

For all email correspondence, please also cc: Chris Glime, Captain, U.S. Public Health Service

Mobile: (202) 641-3518, Email: christen_glime@nps.gov

Winter Preparedness at Grand Canyon

Severe winter weather has returned to the Grand Canyon this week, so it’s time to offer a few reminders on winter preparedness!

Power Outages: Best Practices and Tips

While not common, power outages can occur within our community during inclement winter weather. In advance, make sure you have a phone charger in your personal vehicle, and/or a portable emergency generator.

As soon as possible, report the power outage to APS on the South Rim or Garkane Energy on the North Rim. The more residents who report the outage to the power company, the better they can understand the size and scope of the outage. During a power outage please do NOT call dispatch or 911. If you live on the South Rim, you can download the APS app to report and get regular updates on the power outage.

During a power outage, stay in contact with your supervisor and neighbors. Develop a plan with your neighbors to know who might be struggling without power or during a storm. Also, make sure your supervisor knows of any health issues that could cause problems during this time.

Construction Project Underway at Headquarters

Beginning this week, the Headquarters Building mechanical room rehabilitation project has begun. The contractors for this project have been working on setting up in the “bull pen” parking lot, located on the southeast corner of the building where government vehicles are normally parked. The dumpster in this lot has been moved to the front visitor parking lot. Also, two accessible parking spaces will be usable for the duration of the project.

Thanks to all employees who worked to move the government vehicles to the upper lot. The project will be ongoing until June 2022.

One Year Ago…

One year ago, on December 20, 2020, visitors at South Rim overlooks heard a rumble and saw dust clouds from a rockfall that took place at 8:46 a.m. below a peak named Isis Temple. The collapse took place in the Supai formation on the temple’s left (west) shoulder. The location is in a remote area on the north side of the Colorado River. Photo is courtesy of S. Zirkle.

Community Bike Ride-December 18

Join community members on a monthly bike ride around the Grand Canyon neighborhood! This month’s theme is holiday sweaters and meeting time will be at 10 a.m. at the corner of Albright Ave. and Center Road.

More information, including a flyer is available here.

Tusayan Skating Rink Opens December 18

Blood Drive at the Rec Center-December 21

The Grand Canyon Rec Center will once again be hosting a community Blood Drive, sponsored by Vitalant. The event will occur on Tuesday, December 21 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. To sign up ahead of time head to:

https://donors.vitalant.org/dwp/portal/dwa and enter “86023” for a zip code.

Spots are limited, so sign up soon!

Tusayan Santa Shack Open Through December 23

This year, the Town of Tusayan is also sponsoring the Santa Shack located within the Tusayan Town Hall. The Santa Shack is a FREE shopping experience for Grand Canyon community members and is open to children and adults alike.

Those wishing to contribute a gift or donation, or to schedule an appointment to shop can contact the Town hall directly at 928-638-9909. More information, including a flyer, is available here.

Please note: new operational changes are posted below in red.

South Rim

Lodging occupancy in the park is expected to be at or near capacity. Our concessioners are expecting a busy holiday season ahead!

Xanterra

Delaware North

Effective December 20th through January 1st the following hours will be in effect:

Other

Desert View

The following park closures remain in place:

Please visit the Grand Canyon National Park website for a complete list of closures and available amenities.

Photo Credits (in order of appearance)