Campgrounds begin reopening on Blue Ridge Parkway
The pandemic shut down campgrounds along the Blue Ridge Parkway back in the spring, but some campgrounds are beginning to open again, the National Park Service said in a news release. Four campgrounds will reopen beginning July 31—Julian Price Park Campground and Linville Falls Campground in North Carolina and the Peaks of Otter Campground and Rocky Knob Campground in Virginia.
The park service says they are “working with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.” Reservations for the campgrounds are now available through www.recreation.gov with dates beginning July 31.
Arlington, Va named “Fittest City’ in ranking of top 100 cities
Arlington, Va has been named “America’s Fittest City in the annual American Fitness Index rankings published by ACSM American Fitness Index. The science-based fitness index analyzed America’s 100 largest cities using 33 health behaviors, chronic diseases and community infrastructure indicators to settle on Arlington as the fittest city in the nation.
In a news release, researchers said that Arlington’s balance of healthy behaviors and community infrastructure earned it the #1 overall rank. Arlington ranked in the top 10 cities for 19 of the 33 indicators, including #1 in lowest rate of adults with obesity and highest rate of residents meeting aerobic and strength activity guidelines. This is the third consecutive year Arlington has held the title of fittest city.
First dog to test positive for COVID-19 in U.S. has died
A 7-year-old German shepherd named Buddy, the first dog in the U.S. to test positive for COVID-19, has died, National Geographic reports. Buddy lived in New York and was believed to have been infected by his owner, who also tested positive for the virus. Medical records indicate Buddy also likely had lymphoma, though it’s unclear whether the cancer made him more susceptible to the virus.
Buddy’s family, the Mahoney’s, told National Geographic that Buddy developed thick mucus in his nose and started breathing heavily back in April. The dog then lost his appetite, began losing weight, and became lethargic. A month after he began having trouble breathing, the dog tested positive to COVID. Before his death, Buddy had blood in his urine and urinated uncontrollably, continued to have labored breathing, and had trouble walking. When he began throwing up clotted blood, his family decided to euthanize him.
Blue Ridge Parkway landscapes twin tunnel early morning – Photo courtesy of Getty Images by digidreamgrafix
