Highway 16 fully open through Jasper National Park [Video]

The roads heading into Jasper, Alta., are open, but officials say tourists won’t be welcome in the Rocky Mountain town for the foreseeable future.

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Only the town’s 5,000 residents were allowed to return starting Friday following last month’s wildfire evacuation.

At least 500 Jasperites returned over the weekend, but it’s not clear how many have chosen to stay permanently, municipal officials said Monday.

Although the roads into town are now open, the municipality’s incident commander has asked visitors to stay away for now.

“There are no hotels, there are no restaurants, there are no businesses open, and we do need the space to get our residents and our businesses back on their feet,” Christine Nadon told reporters in Hinton, Alta., a town close to the national park’s eastern boundary.

Nadon also said there would be a significant police presence in Jasper and officers on patrol will ask visitors to leave.

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