COVID-19’s Impacts on BGW

[dawno]

I can see where personality plays into it. I would say it sounds like in your closer circle you have your voice which is great. Most people are honorable people that do care about their neighbors/community so they will still listen if you say you are uncomfortable with something.

I wouldn’t worry about speaking up.

I have not yet been to BGW as we live in NJ, have underlying conditions, I am supposed to let my immunologist know if I've left the state, would need to quarantine for 14 days if I do travel to VA (I believe that restriction has loosened now) and find a 6+ hour drive a bit much for a shortened session. My husband and I would usually take three or more long weekend trips to BGW, and spend every moment from rope drop til close at the park every day.

So, I cannot comment on what it's like speaking up to people at the park. I have on occasion spoken up politely to people who refuse to wear their masks properly and go the wrong way up the aisle in our grocery store.They also broadcast over the PA about keeping 6ft from others and to please follow the arrows. A couple weeks ago, after such an announcement I said to a woman with a mask under her chin who was going the wrong way, to please wear her mask properly and follow the arrows. She screamed at me to f*ck off and mind my own business. Another woman who was behind me did not take kindly to that and started screaming at the offender. It was ugly. You never know how someone will react no matter how politely you ask.

Both my husband and I are now vaccinated so I'm hopeful we will get to F&W as that is always one of my fave events.

 

[Icer]

general population

(posap)

 

[Celticdog]

Today I noticed park employees on multiple occasions telling guests to put on their masks or to wear them correctly. It was much more prevalent than previous visits.

 

[Icer]

My whole weekend the park employees were vigilant. I never saw an occasion where a park employee passed by someone improperly wearing a mask. I am not denying it happens, but my experience was positive.

I wonder if management really emphasized it this weekend with the warm weather, knowing people would be more inclined to take their mask off to catch a breather from the heat.

 

[Memles]

My whole weekend the park employees were vigilant. I never saw an occasion where a park employee passed by someone improperly wearing a mask. I am not denying it happens, but my experience was positive.

I saw the rides team at Verbolten pass roughly four people on one train with masks below their nose without saying a thing on Friday. The reality is that there’s no consistency - much as you’re not denying it happens, I’m not denying that some employees are more vigilant than others.

 

[Irishman]

I saw the rides team at Verbolten pass roughly four people on one train with masks below their nose without saying a thing on Friday. The reality is that there’s no consistency - much as you’re not denying it happens, I’m not denying that some employees are more vigilant than others.

The lack of consistency and fear of confrontations. I really think a “mask police” concept would be beneficial. Mask ambassadors? Or just roll with me here…. Roaming mask police hoardes

 

[Irishman]

Speaking of this, what is everyone’s opinion about actively enforcing things yourself? I’m all for this!

Also just to clarify here. I’m not actively enforcing, I did just mean when they are putting you at harms way here.

 

[..…]

Or just roll with me here…. Roaming mask police hoardes

This sounds like a new HoS scare actor concept for the times we’re living in.

 

[warfelg]

The lack of consistency and fear of confrontations. I really think a “mask police” concept would be beneficial. Mask ambassadors? Or just roll with me here…. Roaming mask police hoardes

View attachment CDD03C84-210E-43A8-877C-D2E38A357A27.webp

In all honesty a year out of all of this and we’re still looking for answers to me shows the issue isn’t in how you manage it, it’s how people react. And since some were convinced to take the discussion of safety in bad faith there’s not a whole lot you can do.

 

[Crunchewy]

View attachment 22604

In all honesty a year out of all of this and we’re still looking for answers to me shows the issue isn’t in how you manage it, it’s how people react. And since some were convinced to take the discussion of safety in bad faith there’s not a whole lot you can do.

What is that file? I can't seem to open it.

 

[warfelg]

What is that file? I can't seem to open it.

The picture of the police from Watchmen.

 

[..…]

View attachment 22604

In all honesty a year out of all of this and we’re still looking for answers to me shows the issue isn’t in how you manage it, it’s how people react. And since some were convinced to take the discussion of safety in bad faith there’s not a whole lot you can do.

I think it’s a combination of both management and reaction - I don’t think there is any way they can be mutually exclusive. I feel like there is a lot of psychology to this that is being ignored. I don’t necessarily think it is being intentionally ignored, just that it is subordinated to the actual emergency situation. Unfortunately it seems the psychological aspect is very much a part of the emergency situation and things break down when it is not considered. I hope this is an area that we can learn from and incorporate in the event of future pandemics (or really any event where mass fear is involved, not just pandemics).

 

[The Quist]

Am I the only one that gets taken out of shows etc when the characters/actors are wearing masks. I realize it is necessary, but something about carollers or period specific characters in 2021 covid face masks really ruins the experience for me. It would be like watching a movie where all the actors have big handheld microphones but no one acknowledges it.

 

[warfelg]

I think it’s a combination of both management and reaction - I don’t think there is any way they can be mutually exclusive. I feel like there is a lot of psychology to this that is being ignored. I don’t necessarily think it is being intentionally ignored, just that it is subordinated to the actual emergency situation. Unfortunately it seems the psychological aspect is very much a part of the emergency situation and things break down when it is not considered. I hope this is an area that we can learn from and incorporate in the event of future pandemics (or really any event where mass fear is involved, not just pandemics).

Just as someone who’s run emergency management situations; management and reaction are quite different from each other.

I know this is quite different but two hurricane situations. (We didn’t have a lot of them) In one we recommended staying off the streets, avoid certain streets, things like that. It was a mess. People in trucks and SUVs felt like they were able to do anything.

But when we forced things closed, created emergency roads, did some curfews for when to be off the roads so emergency crews could clear up; things were great.

The management and messaging of what’s fine and isn’t was so mixed that people got the feeling that they could do one thing. Add in the lack of enforcement from a governmental aspect and it makes the reaction quite different as well.

 

[..…]

Just as someone who’s run emergency management situations; management and reaction are quite different from each other.

I know this is quite different but two hurricane situations. (We didn’t have a lot of them) In one we recommended staying off the streets, avoid certain streets, things like that. It was a mess. People in trucks and SUVs felt like they were able to do anything.

But when we forced things closed, created emergency roads, did some curfews for when to be off the roads so emergency crews could clear up; things were great.

The management and messaging of what’s fine and isn’t was so mixed that people got the feeling that they could do one thing. Add in the lack of enforcement from a governmental aspect and it makes the reaction quite different as well.

If I’m completely misunderstanding what you’re saying, let me know. But, based on what I think you’re saying, I agree that the management and reactions tend to be different and that’s a problem. So what I mean when I say that they’re not mutually exclusive is that the reaction is dependent on the management. Or at least dependent on the message delivered by the management. So if the management is producing an adverse reaction, we need to learn from that and figure out how things may need to be managed differently, or the message needs to be changed to help people better understand how things are being managed.

Are we basically saying the same thing, or am I misunderstanding? I think I’m starting to confuse myself here...

 

[warfelg]

If I’m completely misunderstanding what you’re saying, let me know. But, based on what I think you’re saying, I agree that the management and reactions tend to be different and that’s a problem. So what I mean when I say that they’re not mutually exclusive is that the reaction is dependent on the management. Or at least dependent on the message delivered by the management. So if the management is producing an adverse reaction, we need to learn from that and figure out how things may need to be managed differently, or the message needs to be changed to help people better understand how things are being managed.

Are we basically saying the same thing, or am I misunderstanding? I think I’m starting to confuse myself here...

Oh, so this situation I’m saying it doesn’t really matter how management (BGW/SEAS) handles things; the reaction from certain parties will be what it is.

 

[horsesboy]

Lines were over flowing all over the place today. This is really the first visit where I felt that the crowd to open stuff ratio was really bad. The park MUST find ways to either open more stuff for this level of crowd or reduce capacity.

But on a possible good news front it looked like they had fresh distancing markers in Nessie Queue so possibly we might see her waken soon.

 

[Memles]

Lines were over flowing all over the place today. This is really the first visit where I felt that the crowd to open stuff ratio was really bad. The park MUST find ways to either open more stuff for this level of crowd or reduce capacity.

Yeah, the Facebook groups were blowing up today over the state of things. They just haven’t found staffing to make weekdays feasible, and yet they committed to them, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

 

[Rothbury]

Have to agree with Horseboy about today. Was there from 11 to 6 and some places were absolutely crazy. How do you justify releasing/selling that many reservations and the only place to eat was the Festhaus? It's 7:45 now and I bet there were people in the queue for food at the Festhaus who never made it inside before the park closed. At one point we walked through New France and the line for Invader was all the way out to the pottery and completely blocked the walkway. Everywhere we went/looked there were lines. One food line open at the Festhaus and 3 employees working one food line. At the same time probably 50 -75 people in the queue outside waiting to even enter the building. The line was from the food line all the way to the side entrance they are using for the Festhaus. I saw more people in line for every open ride than I ever saw on a normal day. The swing line was all the way back to the shop in Ireland. They were so unprepared everywhere we went. If this is what the next 4 weekdays this week and 5 days next week are going to be like I'm just not sure I want to go back.

 

[rswashdc]

Half the problem is KD isn’t open to pull in some of the crowds. Effectively BGW is getting more demand than they probably projected for.