California theme parks push back on restrictions in state’s draft reopening plan. Will this governor never cease to amaze you? How can he in good conscience not allow theme parks to even open at a limited occupancy?
Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, SeaWorld San Diego, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Legoland California and other California theme parks closed in mid-March as the COVID-19 pandemic forced business across the U.S. to shutter their operations and society to adjust to the “new normal.”
Look at these crazy restrictions. The parks want them changed.
Individual theme parks can reopen only once their county reaches the least-restrictive “minimal” risk level
Operate at 25% of attendance capacity
Limit visitors to residents living within a 120-mile radius of each theme park
The state’s draft guidelines present two key problems for theme parks:
- Placing theme parks in the final tier of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy means the severity of the guidelines never change until the pandemic ends
- Reaching the least-restrictive “minimal” tier could be difficult to nearly impossible for California’s most-populous counties
The draft guidelines likely would prevent California theme parks from reopening for weeks or months.
California theme parks likely would not be able to set reopening dates until their respective counties entered the “minimal” tier — or not at all if their counties were stuck at a more-restrictive level.
So if there are minimal to no covid outbreaks at the parks, they must close if the county they’re in have outbreaks. What does the governor think is going to happen? People with the virus will flock to the parks?
