State closes Lake Ouachita State Park after campers test positive

Lake Ouachita State Park was completely closed to the public on Friday. - Photo by Richard Rasmussen of The Sentinel-Record
Lake Ouachita State Park was completely closed to the public on Friday. - Photo by Richard Rasmussen of The Sentinel-Record

Arkansas State Parks temporarily closed all facilities, including day-use areas, at Lake Ouachita State Park to the public Friday morning following a report that three people who camped there in late March tested positive for COVID-19.

“The Lake Ouachita State Park is temporarily closed because it was reported to Arkansas State Parks late (Thursday) afternoon that three people who were RV camping at Lake Ouachita State Park in late March have recently tested positive for COVID-19,” said Melissa Whitfield, communications director for Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

Whitfield said these three campers “were in some level of contact with 12 of the park’s 23 employees.” Because of that, “we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close the park." The closure was made at 8 a.m. Friday.

All of the park employees, both those who were in contact with the campers and those who weren’t, are now self-quarantining.

See Friday's edition of The Sentinel-Record for complete details

Upcoming Events