Spring Grove Cemetery will close to nonessential guests Wednesday, April 1 due to an overwhelming number of recent visitors, according to officials.
Cemetery President and CEO Gary Freytag said that the thousands of visitors coming to enjoy the cemetery during Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's stay at home order designed to the slow the spread of pandemic coronavirus COVID-19 has overwhelmed the 733-acre site. Its narrow roadways aren't designed for so much auto, bicycle and pedestrian traffic, he says.
Freytag called the announcement "a very sad day" and noted the cemetery generally welcomes the public, but said the number of visitors has presented safety issues and is interfering with the cemetery's primary mission — serving grieving families.
The cemetery will be closed to the general public, but will open Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for those making visitations to grave sites. Funeral services and burials will continue as usual.
