Merced County state parks will be closed this weekend due to pandemic

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Many people will likely want to head to local lakes to cool off over the Labor Day weekend.

But because of the pandemic, some may not be open.

Lake Yosemite just east of Merced is one of them.

Merced County officials are urging residents to avoid large parties and gatherings this holiday weekend.

They have seen spikes, after previous holidays this summer.

Just 14 days after Father's Day, Merced County health officials saw 792 new cases - a spike of 129%.

It takes about two weeks for symptoms of the coronavirus to surface.

And just two weeks after the 4th of July, they saw more than 1,000 new cases - a jump of 79%.

Merced County officials say they are shutting down popular gathering spots to prevent case numbers from going up.

"Our regional parks will be closed this weekend. That includes Hagman Park, Henderson Park and Lake Yosemite. We've closed them down to avoid potentially having large group gatherings and parties out there," says Mike North with the county.

County officials tell us, they will have cooling centers open throughout the county.

If you want to check on access to local lakes, you can go to the State Parks website.