Florida State Parks announced that every state park will close Monday due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision was made at the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis and comes as most Central Florida students will be on extended spring break. Online classes for most school districts begin March 30.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will close the parks.
Florida State Parks tweeted about the closure Sunday, asking for understanding.
“We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work to prioritize the welfare of our communities and staff. We will be providing updates to the public on our webpage & social media channels. We look forward to welcoming you to our award winning parks as soon as possible,” the department said in a statement.
It’s not known when the parks will reopen.
As of Sunday, there were more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Florida, resulting in 13 deaths.