![Employees and visitors at Cuyahoga Valley National Park will now be required to wear masks indoors and in crowded outdoor areas. [Jacob Boomsma / Shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9d4d770/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x551+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2021%2F08%2Fshutterstock_1195287046-Jacob-Boomsma.jpg)
Masks will again be required in indoor spaces and crowded outdoor areas at national parks, including Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The new requirement applies to all employees, visitors and contractors regardless of vaccination status.
For now, there is no mask requirement for other outdoor spaces, aside from those where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as on narrow and busy trails.
Masks will continue to be required on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad within the park, unless actively eating or drinking. The railroad is governed by the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.
As of Wednesday, almost every county in Ohio, including Cuyahoga, is in the high coronavirus transmission category (red), according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two counties, Ashtabula and Athens, are at substantial transmission (orange). The CDC has recommended wearing masks indoors in counties where transmission is substantial or high.
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