People are getting explosive gastroenteritis at the Grand Canyon

While many may have sought the outdoor grandeur in hopes of avoiding the pandemic coronavirus, it seems they were instead met with a different germ that has been savagely hollowing out innards at a pace many orders of magnitude faster than the Colorado River gutted the southwestern section of the Colorado Plateau. Amid the smoothly carved buttes and intricately chiseled chasms serenely shaped over eons, park-goers are blowing chunks from both ends in hot seconds. And instead of reaching both the North and South Rims during their visits, some are forced to remain perched on the edge of a far smaller basin.

It’s unclear how exactly the illness is spreading among visitors, and clusters of illnesses have struck unconnected parts of the park. But the park service warns that the highly infectious virus can swiftly rip through river tours and campsites. It can spread from person to person directly, through contaminated food and water, or via contaminated surfaces. The park service advises visitors to wash their hands regularly and practice general cleanliness, avoid sharing food, stay home if they’re feeling ill, and isolate people who develop illness during trips.