COVID-19 & Coasters: Coronavirus Impacts on the Amusement Industry

[horsesboy]

And with that:
https://www.fox19.com/2020/07/08/kings-island-employee-tests-positive-coronavirus-park-announces/

One positive test should not be concerning. Chances are that you have been inside a building that has had one or more positive test if you have been out at all and never know it since most businesses are not required to report publicly employees testing positive.

 

[Jonesta6]

I'd also wonder if it's their job or another source for catching it - not saying parks aren't possibly responsible or totally safe, but there may never be a reliable method to determine where the employee got it from.

Yes, contact tracing everywhere would help, but if the employee ventured outside their home for more than just work it's possible they could have picked it up anywhere.

IMO 2020 is a bust for parks, really hope things will be more or less back to normal in 2021.

 

[WDWRLD]

Nope.

COVID-19 case temporarily closes OWA amusement park in Foley

The Park at OWA is closed for a deep cleaning after one employee tested positive for COVID-19 over the holiday weekend. In a Monday morning Facebook post, The Park at OWA shared that a team member had tested positive for COVID-19. Citing privacy rules, the park did not say where that employee...

mynbc15.com

It’ll be far from the last too. Every selfish guest not wearing their mask over their nose that one of these poor employees has to interact with is another potential infection. There are a lot of risky COVID-era jobs out there, but I swear theme park operations has to be one of the riskiest. Having to enter hundreds of people’s personal space every hour checking restraints or the like? Terrifying.

Dont always be so quick to call out those "selfish guests". We saw quite a few team members at BGT and SWO last week with them below the chin, not on at all or hanging from one ear. At SWO we were at the pass lounge right at opening. The drink machines were not working so we sat down just to cool off. We sat there for 30 minutes watchine guest after guest try the machines and touch basically every part of the machine over and over trying to figure out why they didnt work. There was also a cup full of water there that just about every one of them moved at some point. Finally a guy shows up with his mask hanging from one ear to turn on the machine. That cup that everyone was messing with had all the nozzles in it. Anyhow, there was a decent crowd around the machine and he butted right through no mask on to turn on the machine......its not just the guests. Universal team members were all good about having them on, some were tied so loose that they were almost falling off but they had them. At Disney Springs many of the cast were wearing masks and face shields....its impossible to hear them talk through all that.
One trend I did see at Universal was masks I called "the curtain". It was basically a single string tied around the head above the ears with about a 5 inch square piece of fabric hanging from it. No bottom strap, if you were to the side of them you could clearly see the nose and mouth but I guess that is considered a "fece covering" becaus there were quite a few in the parks.

 

[Zachary]

Oh, trust me, I agree that staff have been an issue as well—SFA on the 4th was a disaster in that regard.

That said, walking outside of a six foot radius of someone wearing a mask improperly as a guest on a path is almost always perfectly doable. Some of these jobs in parks though don’t have such a luxury.

One trend I did see at Universal was masks I called "the curtain". It was basically a single string tied around the head above the ears with about a 5 inch square piece of fabric hanging from it. No bottom strap, if you were to the side of them you could clearly see the nose and mouth but I guess that is considered a "fece covering" becaus there were quite a few in the parks.

Yeah, Universal definitely shouldn’t be allowing that. The CDC’s guidelines are very clear as per what counts as a suitable face covering:

 

[WDWRLD]

I also see what Disney is doing on Kilimanjaro Safari is going to cause issues. They were allowing, in fact anouncing that guests could remove face coverings while on the ride. This will only give guests the idea that thay can do this on all rides.

I will say though, I did follow the mask rules in the parks. I also consider myself to be able to go all day in the parks from rope drop to park closins till midnight. However by 6pm I was whipped. Im not saying im blaming it on the mask but after we would get back to the room around 9pm and take it off in about a hour I was ready to go again. I dont feel like we were on the go as much as our normal Disney trips but I was way more tired in the evening.

 

[rswashdc]

This is where rationalizing the mask wearing policy would be better than having unwritten rules about mask wearing being implemented inconsistently.

I don’t see issue with guests removing their mask while they are on the ride for rides they aren’t seated near other households. Similarly, I don’t have issues with employees taking their mask off while the ride is going if they aren’t near guests or other employees. Allowing these little breaks where risk is non-existent makes it easier to focus enforcement where it matters.

 

[Zachary]

I don’t see issue with guests removing their mask while they are on the ride for rides they aren’t seated near other households. Similarly, I don’t have issues with employees taking their mask off while the ride is going if they aren’t near guests or other employees. Allowing these little breaks where risk is non-existent makes it easier to focus enforcement where it matters.

From what I understand, putting on and taking off masks regularly is pretty dangerous—particularly when you can’t wash or sanitize your hands immediately before taking it off and putting it on. Frankly, removing a mask from your face and then putting your hands all over a ride vehicle seems particularly problematic as well. I agree with @WDWRLD—the random exceptions should be a no-go—it’s gonna be a problem.

 

[WDWRLD]

I seemed to constantly be fumbling with mine, as I talked it would work its way down and off my nose. I tried various ones too. I probably touched my face more in those 9 days than I have since covid started. I also realized how clean my surroundings had been those 9 days as soon as I walked into Walmart this morning.

 

[rswashdc]

From what I understand, putting on and taking off masks regularly is pretty dangerous—particularly when you can’t wash or sanitize your hands immediately before taking it off and putting it on. Frankly, removing a mask from your face and then putting your hands all over a ride vehicle seems particularly problematic as well. I agree with @WDWRLD—the random exceptions should be a no-go—it’s gonna be a problem.

I’m not sure this risk taking a mask off and on changes much from when a guest or employee takes off a mask to eat/drink. I rarely see anyone washing/sanitizing their hands in those instances, so I’d assume those risks are built in to policy with the public wearing masks (a medical setting would be different).

I agree that random exceptions based on employee judgement should not be the norm, but that is quickly what is happening in practice. Better for the parks to get ahead of this and be more detailed in where mask wearing is happening vice a hodgepodge of enforcement and relaxation by employees and security. Something like a red/green system on signs in various areas could help clarify what is/isn’t acceptable behavior to guests.

 

[Zachary]

I’m not sure this risk taking a mask off and on changes much from when a guest or employee takes off a mask to eat/drink. I rarely see anyone washing/sanitizing their hands in those instances, so I’d assume those risks are built in to policy with the public wearing masks (a medical setting would be different).

Now more than ever, people should be washing/sanitizing their hands before sitting down to eat. Six Flags America has been doing a good job of facilitating that with tons of hand sanitizer and even temporary hand washing stations around dining locations.

I agree that random exceptions based on employee judgement should not be the norm, but that is quickly what is happening in practice. Better for the parks to get ahead of this and be more detailed in where mask wearing is happening vice a hodgepodge of enforcement and relaxation by employees and security.

I’d say it’s better for parks to put their foot down with their employees. Parks should have a zero tolerance policy for employees encouraging guests to violate posted mask rules.

 

[rswashdc]

I’d say it’s better for parks to put their foot down with their employees and have a zero tolerance policy for them encouraging guests to violate posted mask rules.

I agree with this, but I don't think it's employees going rogue so much as unpublished rules that employees are provided internally, but aren't told to guests or posted on signage. A couple examples I've seen are allowing guests to lower their masks on certain rides once harnesses are checked and the ride goes out or allowing guests to remove their masks while sitting off to the side of walkways away from others. I'd much rather those zones were identified as "safe" zones and guests informed appropriately, vice having to guess what the policy is.

 

[WDWRLD]

Well....aparently the tv show "The Morning Express" with Robin Meade ran a article on Disney reopening....and they showed and discussed how you can take off your mask on the Safari. So now people at home see that and think oh we can take them off on rides? Thats not so bad lets go.

 

[horsesboy]

Honestly I have to wonder how much you guys have been getting out cause I hate to break it to you but everything you are describing about mask in parks I have to tell you I see DAILY working in the grocery industry. Reading some of these post people found like this isn't an issue anywhere but parks and that is sadly not the case whatsoever.

 

[Drachen Spire]

Hurricane Harbor Rockford and Great America's Hurricane Harbor are reopening on the 20th!

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

I don’t think anyone is saying that it’s only an issue at parks. Given that this is a theme park discussion thread, that’s where the conversation is going to go to. Pointing out that people don’t use masks outside the parks as well just makes the point that people aren’t responsible enough for anything to open back up.

 

[Zachary]

I don’t think anyone is saying that it’s only an issue at parks. Given that this is a theme park discussion thread, that’s where the conversation is going to go to. Pointing out that people don’t use masks outside the parks as well just makes the point that people aren’t responsible enough for anything to open back up.

To add to this: There are jobs at parks that CANNOT be completed in a socially distanced manner. That is another thing that makes parks uniquely dangerous and makes mask mandates and enforcement even more important.

 

[mtorange]

Perhaps some good news for those wanting Haunt and Howl-O-Scream to happen this year?

This article says that Cedar Point plans to stay open through their Halloweekends event, but gives the disclaimer that nothing is truly set in stone just yet.

Cedar Point opening day preview: Face masks, social distancing, HalloWeekends and more

“It’s a whole new park experience,” said Cedar Point General Manager Jason McClure, talking through a face covering during a park preview tour to members of the media Wednesday. “It comes with some compromise.”

www.cleveland.com

Since there’s sometimes a paywall that pops on this site (out of the two times I clicked the link, I did not get the paywall the second time, oddly enough), I’ll copy and paste the important part:

“He [GM Jason McClure] also said he is planning for Cedar Point to stay open through HalloWeekends, the very popular Halloween-themed event that runs weekends in September and October.

But he added: “I don’t know anyone who is confident saying anything in the future is definite.”

Health and safety issues, as well as financial considerations, may affect future decisions, he said.”

This article also has a couple of other interesting tidbits like the fact that Steel Vengeance is banning phones again because they won’t be able to sanitize the pouches on the coaster (something we should expect at Twisted Timbers if KD reopens) and that CP isn’t sure if their indoor water park will open this year.

 

[rswashdc]

I’m not sure how sanitizing the pouches would be any different than the rest of the touch points on the train. They just need to spray sanitizer there and let it do its thing.

I would imagine the ban is to speed up dispatches on what will be very slow lines if they go every other row.

 

[horsesboy]

I’m not sure how sanitizing the pouches would be any different than the rest of the touch points on the train. They just need to spray sanitizer there and let it do its thing.

I would imagine the ban is to speed up dispatches on what will be very slow lines if they go every other row.

Part of the issue is that those sanitizers are most effective as the dry. That part of the reason they spray the trains and then run them rather let them sit. Pouches are going to get less air flow and not dry as fast holding the moister and making the cleaning less effective. At least that would be my assumption based of my training in food handling sanitizers.

 

[warfelg]

Hershey cutting hours