After a long period of “will-they or won’t-they,” the state of California has finally announced guidelines today to move forward with the reopening of California theme parks following state-mandated closures in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Per the newly issued guidelines, theme park reopening is tied to the Blue Print for a Safer Economy classification for their respective counties. Smaller “amusement park operators” will be allowed to open if their counties are within the “Orange – Moderate – Tier 3” classification. Larger amusement park operators such as Disney however will only be permitted to reopen in “Yellow – Minimal Tier 4” classification.

Amusement park operators must abide by stringent guidelines for their respective category.

Smaller Amusement Park Operators Reopening

Smaller parks are defined as parks with overall capacity fewer than 15,000 based on the design/operating capacity or fire department occupant limit. Reopening procedures must include:

  • Capacity must be limited to 25% of total facility occupancy based on the design/operating capacity or fire department occupant limit – whichever is fewer – or 500 people, whichever is fewer.
  • Only outdoor attractions are permitted to open; all other indoor attractions must remain closed.
  • Ticket sales must be limited only to those visitors who reside in the same county as the park’s location.
  • Operators must follow the modifications in this guidance and must be prepared for inspections by public health officials to ensure adequat eimplementation of all required modifications. Operators must address and implement any resulting findings and recommendations.

Larger Amusement Park Operators Reopening

Larger parks are defined as parks with overall capacity larger than 15,000 based on the design/operating capacity or fire department occupant limit. Reopening procedures must include:

  • Capacity must be limited to 25% of total facility occupancy based on the design/operating capacity or fire department occupant limit, whichever isfewer.
  • Capacity on all indoor dining and drinking establishments within the park must be limited to 25%.
  • Operators must follow the modifications in this guidance and must be prepared for inspections by public health officials to ensure adequate implementation of all required modifications. Operators must address and implement any resulting findings and recommendations.

Baseline Requirements

Regardless of the size of the amusement park operator, Key Prevention Practices are required as a part of reopening procedures:

  • Physical distancing to the maximum extent possible,
  • Use of face coverings by workers (where respiratory protection is not required) and guests,
  • Frequent handwashing and regular cleaning and disinfection,
  • Training workers on these and other elements of the COVID-19 prevention plan.

Additional Requirements

Because amusement parks such as Disney are diverse operational offerings, they must also abide by guidance and protocols for those specific various segments. Such operations may include:

  • Food service and concessions (Restaurant guidance)
  • Bars (Bars, Breweries, and Distilleries guidance)
  • Gift shops and retail operations (Retail guidance)
  • Hotels and lodging (Hotels, Lodging, and Short-Term Rentals guidance)
  • Family entertainment centers, including miniature golf and arcades (Family Entertainment Centers guidance)
  • Interactive exhibits (Zoos and Museums guidance)
  • Trams, shuttles, and other transit (Public and Private Passenger Carriers, Transit, and Intercity Passenger Rail guidance)
    • Limit shuttle service whenever possible and in accordance with obligations to individuals with disabilities.
  • Grounds, building maintenance, custodial services (Limited Services guidance)

In light of the recent layoff of more than 28,000 people from the Disney Parks division, many have put some of the blame — including a very vocal Disney — on the fact that Disneyland has not not been allowed to reopen under current state guidelines. The California parks, which have been closed since mid-March of this year are the only ones in the Disney empire to not reopen.

Still others have decried Disney for playing a very obvious game of politics, pointing to other California theme parks such as Knott’s Berry Farm and SeaWorld San Diego which have found creative ways to reopen their gates and bring in much-needed revenue with outdoor-focused events that return the parks to operation but without any attractions running.

What do you think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!