Makes 0 sense that I cant have 25 people for a private gathering but BG can have 4,000 people.
COVID-19’s Impacts on BGW
- Thread starter WDWRLD
- Start date
There's an philosophical and a practical explanation for this.
The practical explanation is that a large corporate entity like Busch Gardens is equipped with the resources to enforce safety guidelines of masks and social distancing, and the new rules make businesses failing to follow those rules into a misdemeanor crime. Most individuals don't have spot thermometers (or, now, infrared screening tents), or security check points, or other safety measures built in. Additionally, outside of Festhaus, BGW is an open-air environment, whereas private gatherings are more likely to take place inside. Effectively, the government places more trust in BGW to enforce the guidelines regarding COVID to product a safe environment than private individuals, which I think is probably fair.
Of course, the philosophical explanation is that in a capitalist society, the government places more value on corporations than people, which is really at the core of most government action with regards to the virus. And that's a more difficult thing for me to defend in any context, although it's built into the fabric of this country on levels that are not going to be resolved anytime soon.
Taking peoples temperature doesn't mean you can tell if people have it. I'd argue that more people are asymptomatic than not. Also, you are counting on 4,000 people to not touch their mask and wear their mask properly. This is impossible. So I would say 25 people I know is a lot safer than 4,000 people touching their face and not wearing masks properly.
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Oh, temperature checks—and hourly cleanings—are absolutely security theater: it doesn't address asymptomatic cases, and you're definitely right that if enforcement is lax there will be those who make poor choices in relations to the rules. There is no question that people are taking on a risk visiting the park during a pandemic, and that no amount of hand sanitizer—and there's a lot of hand sanitizer—can resolve this.
But the fact is that the government is not confident in people's willingness or ability to provide any regulation to a private gathering. Your trust in 25 friends—sincerely, I'm glad you feel you have 25 people you trust with this, because I definitely don't—is one thing, but all contact tracing points to cases stemming from indoor, unmasked socializing and events because people are more likely to let their guard down. At BGW, you can't "forget" about COVID: even ignoring enforcement, there's signs everywhere, dots on the ground, loud public service announcements interrupting the music, the aforementioned hand sanitizer, etc. But all evidence suggests that people can forget about COVID if they're in a small group of people they trust, whether it's to just go inside for a bit to have a cup of coffee, or decide that a game night is probably safe even when it's not. Private gatherings are more likely to be indoor, more likely to be unmasked, and also more likely to go for a longer duration: with longer lines during this event, there's a better chance you're in close proximity to the same people for over 15 minutes, but you're outside, and—provided rules are being followed—masked and six feet apart. Does this break down if someone has their nose out of their mask or isn't respecting social distancing? Yes, and I'm not defending that or saying that it's okay. But I am personally more comfortable outside masked with 3999 strangers at BGW than I would be with 25 (or 5) acquaintances in closer proximity for a longer duration, which I agree isn't wholly rational but fits the data on superspreader events to date.
There will definitely be more than 25 people that don't wear their mask properly, touch their mask, etc. Even if there are safety precautions, how does this protect against the potentially hundreds of people that don't follow the rules? My point is, it will definitely break down because there is no way people follow guidelines the entire time. To your point, BG can prove that they have measures to try and control it and make it safe. Unfortunately hundreds of people not following the rules is very unsafe.
There will absolutely be hundreds of instances where people might not perfectly follow the rules, but how many people are going to be in close proximity to those people for an extended period of time during such instances? The fact is that while there will never be 100% compliance, there really isn't the possiblity of a "breakdown" as it were: even if there are 500 people who at some point walk a distance with their mask on their chin or maybe have it fall below their nose while they're standing in line, these instances are unlikely to converge, and no one person will be exposed to more than two at a given time, and likely not for very long.
I'm not saying it's 100% safe. I'm just saying that the structure of enforcement/signage/etc. serves a mitigating function that simply doesn't exist in a private setting.
I actually don't think it will be. There's a reason that BGW got left out of the new restrictions. It's like what @Memles said above most superspreader events occur in these large group gatherings that the guidelines restrict. People get in those groups and trust that their family and friends couldn't possibly be contagious and they don't socially distance or wear masks. They do this because they are family and friends despite the fact that they don't live them so they have no idea how well they are following the guidelines.
At BGW this is mitigated by all the factors mentioned above by @Memles. At BGW and other places, people largely where masks and social distance from each other. They aren't perfect but they do it better than when they are just hanging out with their family and friends.
You're proving my point. There's no possible way they can wipe down every single surface every time someone touches something. People will touch their faces. Do you think every time someone pulls down their mask to walk they're going to wash their hands? Then what happens when they touch something and no one wipes it down? The only reason BG is open is because they have precautions that aren't comprehensive at all. 4,000 people with precautions = 25 people without.
The fallacy in your argument is your focus on transmission via surfaces.
What we have learned is that, “Infections occur mainly through exposure to respiratory droplets when a person is in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.”
Additionally, “Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission" (ie, “exposure to virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours”).
Moreover, “Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be a common way that COVID-19 spreads.”
www.cdc.gov
What we have learned is that, “Infections occur mainly through exposure to respiratory droplets when a person is in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.”
Additionally, “Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission" (ie, “exposure to virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours”).
Moreover, “Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be a common way that COVID-19 spreads.”
COVID-19 and Your Health
Symptoms, testing, what to do if sick, daily activities, and more.
www.cdc.gov
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Only a matter of time until the capacity limit is reduced, given headlines like this...
Virginia's new COVID restrictions started Monday: 4k people OK at amusement parks; 25 limit for groups - here’s what they are.
richmond.com
Virginia's new COVID restrictions started Monday: 4k people OK at amusement parks; 25 limit for groups - here’s what they are.
Virginia's new COVID restrictions started Monday: 4k people OK at amusement parks; 25 limit for groups - here’s what they are.
Following a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday retightened restrictions that ban gatherings of more than 25 people and the selling of alcohol
The optics are definitely not ideal. Either way, they’ve lost the military audience, as the bases have gone into a new protective mode that explicitly prohibits amusement park visits: https://www.wavy.com/news/military/...strictions-after-rise-in-area-covid-19-cases/
Any wagers on if new restrictions will be announced today?
Northam is not restricting travel but adds ‘nothing is off the table’ if COVID-19 metrics don’t improve
While Northam said Virginia had the fourth-lowest increase of new coronavirus cases of any state, he decided to enforce stricter restrictions after seeing the rising number of new reported cases of…
www.wric.com
Any wagers on if new restrictions will be announced today?
Northam is not restricting travel but adds ‘nothing is off the table’ if COVID-19 metrics don’t improve
While Northam said Virginia had the fourth-lowest increase of new coronavirus cases of any state, he decided to enforce stricter restrictions after seeing the rising number of new reported cases of…
At the very least, he’s going to be asked about it, and so we’ll see a clear sense of whether the parks have any runway to work with here.
Update: No one asked about it. So I guess those headlines weren't enough to trigger a significant demand for clarification.
No one asked, but probably behooves everyone to get to Busch Gardens while they can...
Northam is not restricting travel but adds ‘nothing is off the table’ if COVID-19 metrics don’t improve
While Northam said Virginia had the fourth-lowest increase of new coronavirus cases of any state, he decided to enforce stricter restrictions after seeing the rising number of new reported cases of…
www.wric.com
From the article...
Northam said he chose to lower the number of people who can gather to 25, because looking at the data he thought that would be a good starting place. However, he said all options are on the table and if the current limit isn’t getting the state where it needs to be, they can adjust it to as low as no gatherings.
Kinda off topic, but it's been a disappointing day so I'm gonna talk about it. We had a Thanksgiving week planned in Hershey, everything booked at Chocolate World, two day passes at HersheyPark, and then the new mandate for PA hit last night and I had to cancel everything. Hotel and Chocolate World were awesome about it, issuing refunds immediately, but HersheyPark refused. Instead I am the proud owner of two day passes for Candylane 2021.
I'm really bummed. I get that they say non-refundable, but it still stings. Everything's good until a week before and then it all goes downhill. We were pumped.
I'm really bummed. I get that they say non-refundable, but it still stings. Everything's good until a week before and then it all goes downhill. We were pumped.
If park restrictions are rolled back in VA at some point, I'll be very curious to see how BGW handles it. Their customer service is notoriously horrible—imagine if their cap gets pushed back down to 1,000. I assume they'd need to cancel EVERY non-paid reservation and allow people to rebook?
I speculated back when the limit was 1000 that they limited it to what they can stick to, because a higher number and then dropping it back would be more damaging. Hopefully that's still the case.
Also that 4000 listed in that article is not the actual rule, right? The number is based on attractions open not the overall park capacity.
Also that 4000 listed in that article is not the actual rule, right? The number is based on attractions open not the overall park capacity.