COVID-19’s Impacts on BGW

[Zachary]

You guys act as if Florida is on fire, burning to the ground, people are screaming in the streets and bodies are piling up waiting to be picked up. Yeah, Florida has been stupid, but just because there is a pandemic doesn’t mean it’s pandemonium. As far as tracing goes, give me us a break! There are literally thousands of people at these parks daily and you talk about the lack of tracing so there’s no way to tell if there’s a link....come on! That’s silly! The overall environment is so hot right now that if there was even an inkling of evidence about an outbreak at one of these parks, it would be picked up by the news in a second!
I’m just surprised @Zachary hasn’t used his investigative abilities in this area yet! I mean you kind of are the best at this stuff!

No one said FL is in a state of pandemonium. I was there last week—I know what FL looks like. This chaos narrative is just a strawman you set up to knock down.

Please think about this from a journalist's perspective for a moment. Individual reaches out to the Orlando Sentinel. This person has been diagnosed with COVID a week after returning from their central Florida vacation. The person alleges that they caught COVID at Disney World. The journalist asks why they think that. The person says they were in the parks for four days and the parks were busy so they probably caught it there. The journalist asks how they traveled. They flew—four total flights with a 2 hour layover in Atlanta. The journalist asks where they stayed. Off property in an International Drive-area hotel. The journalist asks where else they went while in central Florida. They visited 4 off-property restaurants and visited the SeaLife Aquarium on their non-Disney day. The journalist asks when their symptoms appeared. 5 days after they returned. The journlist asks what they did between their return flight and their symptoms appearing. The infected individual went to work for four days, a grocery store, and a drug store.

That individual's report is both totally realistic and completely and utterly worthless. There is no story to report there because narrowing down the actual infection vector given the number of locations that person visited is damn near impossible—especially for a journalist. And no, "Man Who Visited Florida Diagnosed with COVID" is not a story since we have, what, between 40 and 60 thousand new cases per day right now?

Identifying a cluster at Disney—especially when Disney is not reporting cases to the health department—would require a MONUMENTAL outbreak to take place. Thankfully an incident that size seems very unlikely to occur given the procedures in place—but that doesn't mean that less catastrophic infection events are not occuring.

 

[WDWRLD]

Unlike BGW, which doesn't really need that kind of heavy PR effort since it's much smaller and doesn't attract nearly as many guests.

Only because of the overly heavy handed unfair controll Northam has put on them. Maybe they should try and get Walmart to buy them out so they can go back to full capacity.

 

[Zachary]

Grocery Stores: Essential
Theme Parks: Nonessential

 

[WDWRLD]

Grocery Stores: Essential
Theme Parks: Nonessential

Depends on where you work......im pretty sure some people consider theme parks or the businesses that are supported by them essential for their employees to make money to survive. Also, only portions of grocery stores are essential.....stores should be forced to suspend sales of all non essential goods such as cakes, pies, sodas, chips, ect. Only essentials such as bread, milk, meats, produce, baby foods, medicines should be sold.

 

[Zimmy]

You guys act as if Florida is on fire, burning to the ground, people are screaming in the streets and bodies are piling up waiting to be picked up....

This is FL we are talking about... the bodies do not pile up because of the gators...

I’m just surprised @Zachary hasn’t used his investigative abilities in this area yet! I mean you kind of are the best at this stuff!

Who is to say he didn't

Actual data and using the scientific method to validate or refute it is far different than anecdotal evidence, for starters. Secondly, the argument has been that the data itself is not a full set, possibly corrupted....

Yes

Depends on where you work......im pretty sure some people consider theme parks or the businesses that are supported by them essential for their employees to make money to survive....

I am some do, unfortunetly as far as being part of a mandated group, they are not.
According to Fox News, "Essential Personnel," is defined by the government as:

The meaning generally applies to workers in law enforcement and public safety, food production, health care providers and emergency personnel, among others. As the pandemic continues to spread and states take tough measures to contain it, workers in other industries are being added to the list:

Workers conducting COVID-19 research and testing.

Pharmacy employees who are necessary for filling prescriptions.

Workers who provide security services to hospitals and other critical industries.

Mass transit and airport workers.

Food and agricultural workers, to include those who work in grocery stores and restaurants. Many restaurants in a growing number of states are only providing delivery and takeout service only.

Energy sector employees considered critical to sustaining utilities, telecommunications and natural gas, among others. Gas station employees are included.

Mortuary and funeral service workers, including crematoriums and cemetery workers.

Employees who manufacture safety and sanitary products, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and food processing.

Workers who support national security commitments and the military.

Water and wastewater employees needed to manage drinking water supplies.

Bank employees needed to process transactions and payments, along with customer service workers at call centers. Payroll and certain insurance workers also apply. Some of those functions can be done remotely, as many companies are asking employees to work from home if possible.

Vendors that provide essential services or products like logistics, child care services, along with hardware and supply stores.

The news media.

Building cleaners and janitors.

Those who work in trash collection and disposal, animal shelters, certain warehouse and fulfillment centers, food banks and mail and shipping service centers. Certain charities also apply.

In California, employees in the cannabis industry are deemed essential. The state has enacted some of the most far-reaching measures in the country to protect its 40 million residents.

 

[Jonesta6]

Only because of the overly heavy handed unfair controll Northam has put on them. Maybe they should try and get Walmart to buy them out so they can go back to full capacity.

My comment was based on the park at regular capacity - even on a normal season there just hasn't been the need for the PR staffing to support crisis and media management since it's not on the same level as the aforementioned Florida parks as a tourist destination... Or physically as large either.

Edit: btw, a non-fatal ride malfunction at BGW generally may not receive much coverage or be considered more than an inconvenience, but at a much larger park could draw a lot more negative press coverage.

 

[BGWnut]

Unlike BGW, which doesn't really need that kind of heavy PR effort since it's much smaller and doesn't attract nearly as many guests.

I think you would be surprised but at the very least BGW is very similar to at least the other SEAS parks for daily attendance. The only reason difference is that they are open every day.

I think the bigger reason why is because BGW is largely members and SWO and we BGT catering much more heavily to tourists

 

[horsesboy]

Depends on where you work......im pretty sure some people consider theme parks or the businesses that are supported by them essential for their employees to make money to survive. Also, only portions of grocery stores are essential.....stores should be forced to suspend sales of all non essential goods such as cakes, pies, sodas, chips, ect. Only essentials such as bread, milk, meats, produce, baby foods, medicines should be sold.

That doesn't even begin to touch on how they are essential to the local economy and tax revenues. JCC is cutting nearly 10 percent of spendin from its budget for next year and that is with tapping into the county's rainy day fund. If 2021 see Busch and other venues remaining largely shuttered they will have to reduce that budget even further. How long before that has a real effect on things like Schools, fire, EMS, police, sanitation, water and other essential services? All at a time when some of those services are already being stretch. Honestly and to be very blunt it's easy to say well that not essential they don't have to operate when it's not your livelihood and you can work from home but it's an completely different picture when suddenly you are the one without a paycheck.

 

[Nicole]

"Essential worker" is a specific set of workers, who do jobs deemed necessary to the functioning of society. No one is saying that everyone doesn't need to be able to earn a living, but that is a different issue. The category of essential workers must be specific and limited, or it serves no purpose. The intent is to identify those who must continue to work, even in the face of danger.

The fact that people are suffering is a tragic effect of the failure to manage this pandemic, but it does not change which services are defined as essential.

 

[warfelg]

So random thought that popped into my head:

Music in the park seems to me to be a big part of BGW opening early and being open weekends almost regardless of what’s going on. What does the future of this look like? With schools not meeting in person, likely not taking trips, and not coming to the park is this program in danger of extinction?

I am interested in following that. I was part of a school that came in ‘03 and it was fun (actually one of 3 school sponsored park trips my senior year). It would be sad to see something happen to it; but I won’t lie as an adult I wouldn’t mind seeing it scaled back or disappear.

 

[BGWnut]

So random thought that popped into my head:

Music in the park seems to me to be a big part of BGW opening early and being open weekends almost regardless of what’s going on. What does the future of this look like? With schools not meeting in person, likely not taking trips, and not coming to the park is this program in danger of extinction?

I am interested in following that. I was part of a school that came in ‘03 and it was fun (actually one of 3 school sponsored park trips my senior year). It would be sad to see something happen to it; but I won’t lie as an adult I wouldn’t mind seeing it scaled back or disappear.

I think that it will depend. I wouldn't expect to see a lot of then next year but I think they will come back

 

[I64 Trekker]

"Essential worker" is a specific set of workers, who do jobs deemed necessary to the functioning of society. No one is saying that everyone doesn't need to be able to earn a living, but that is a different issue. The category of essential workers must be specific and limited, or it serves no purpose. The intent is to identify those who must continue to work, even in the face of danger.

The fact that people are suffering is a tragic effect of the failure to manage this pandemic, but it does not change which services are defined as essential.

Yet why are ABC stores classified as essential?

 

[rswashdc]

Yet why are ABC stores classified as essential?

It's a pick your poison issue. If alcohol isn't available, then you have addicts who will need medical attention (and possibly law enforcement) from withdrawal issues.

 

[boston191]

Yet why are ABC stores classified as essential?

$$$$$MONEY$$$$$

 

[Nicole]

No, it is not some cynical profit-driven decision. That simply isn’t how the government identifies essential services.

@rswashdc said, it is for health reasons, as explained here:

Yes, Liquor Stores Are Essential Businesses

Keeping them open can help people with alcohol use disorder avoid withdrawal symptoms, including tremors, hallucinations and seizures

blogs.scientificamerican.com

Bottom line: “Keeping them open can help people with alcohol use disorder avoid withdrawal symptoms, including tremors, hallucinations and seizures.”

 

[WDWRLD]

Its the same reason hospitals have a liquor license.

 

[Jonesta6]

So... BGW?

 

[Zimmy]

they definitely serve alcohol... Its kind of in the name

 

[Jonesta6]

they definitely serve alcohol... Its kind of in the name

So by way of that, it's now essential? Could you say the same about coaster addicts?

 

[bill s]

What's essential depends on the extent and time frame of the lockdown. The minimum is some kind of police. With a disease that is highly contagious for about a week, it should be fairly obvious what would stop it. 7 months later we're still treading water.