Hikers are being told by the agency, which oversees the Appalachian Trail, to delay plans to cover the distance of nearly 3,500 kilometers (COFID-19).
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy made the proposal because it feels the pandemic makes long-distance hiking unsafe, the Asheville Citizen Times reported Monday.
Morgan Sommerville, regional director for the conservancy, said that as long as the pandemic continues, while vaccines are not widely available and that there are no clear signs from the disease control and prevention centers, the conservancy recommends long-distance hiking.
Sommerville said about 2,000 passers-by have already registered. These hikers come through the 71 km trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and reach western North Carolina trail towns such as Franklin and Hot Springs, in March and April, when they gather in large numbers to rest, repair equipment and return to provide.
They also live near shelters along the trail. The shelters do not provide for the CDC’s COVID safety guidelines, which include maintaining a social distance of at least 6 feet from those who do not live in the same household and wash hands regularly with soap and water.
The Appalachian Trail runs through 14 states from Georgia to Maine and covers 2193 miles.