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Coronavirus: Impact on Theme Parks

Professor

Previously AndrewRollercoaster
Read that last night, shocking figure.

Still surprised California is keeping all parks closed closed whilst it is mainly a climate that can allow parks to operate all year round. I worry some of the reasoning is politically related due to the election, but is going to hurt people who already don't earn that much.

I think at this stage we have seen plenty parks being able to operate safely and it is time to move on (safely) if possible.

I expect after Nov 3rd (may be a week or two) we will see more movement with removing restrictions, regardless of who wins the US election.
 

Hixee

Flojector
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On reflection - does anyone have a ballpark figure for how many people Disney employ at their parks in the USA? What sort of percentages are we looking at?
 

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
Staff member
Administrator
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On reflection - does anyone have a ballpark figure for how many people Disney employ at their parks in the USA? What sort of percentages are we looking at?
Off the top of my head I remember the figure 60,000 working at Walt Disney World, although I'm not sure how accurate that is. Let's pretend it's half that at Anaheim. That would mean roughly a third of their total workforce had to go.
 

Professor

Previously AndrewRollercoaster
Unsurprisingly after debates the government's advice in The Netherlands has shifted to recommend people to wear masks in public settings everywhere.
Some zoos have already made the move to recommend them in certain areas.

Expect Dutch theme parks to update their Covid policies very quickly. Hopefully only mandated in queues and on rides.
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
Unsurprisingly after debates the government's advice in The Netherlands has shifted to recommend people to wear masks in public settings everywhere.
Some zoos have already made the move to recommend them.

Expect Dutch theme parks to update the policy very quickly.
It felt very strange at Walibi Holland, having spent the week at French and German parks, to see not a soul wearing a mask, and very little distancing going on... Something had to give.
 

Hyde

Matt SR
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On reflection - does anyone have a ballpark figure for how many people Disney employ at their parks in the USA? What sort of percentages are we looking at?
Off the top of my head I remember the figure 60,000 working at Walt Disney World, although I'm not sure how accurate that is. Let's pretend it's half that at Anaheim. That would mean roughly a third of their total workforce had to go.
It's actually higher - 100,000 employees across their parks and hotel divisions. Of the 28k, 67% are part-time employees; one would hope those positions can be easily filled and staffers hired back once parks reopen.

As to the speculation of why California parks remain closed, it's a simple numbers game. At last check, California is seeing 3,227 new cases daily, and has seen 815k overall cases. California re-opening would spell an undoubted spike in Covid cases, especially when you consider Universal, Disney, Knott's are all within the epicenter of LA. https://www.npr.org/sections/health...king-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-in-the-u-s

When we say America has a half-assed mitigation of Covid, we mean it. And that means tourism is the first to suffer because of business prohibitions for states making that their priority. Only a handful of parks were able to actually open this year - I fully expect small, family-owned parks to continue announcing permanent closures because of a lost season of revenue.
 

Professor

Previously AndrewRollercoaster
It's actually higher - 100,000 employees across their parks and hotel divisions. Of the 28k, 67% are part-time employees; one would hope those positions can be easily filled and staffers hired back once parks reopen.

As to the speculation of why California parks remain closed, it's a simple numbers game. At last check, California is seeing 3,227 new cases daily, and has seen 815k overall cases. California re-opening would spell an undoubted spike in Covid cases, especially when you consider Universal, Disney, Knott's are all within the epicenter of LA. https://www.npr.org/sections/health...king-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-in-the-u-s

When we say America has a half-assed mitigation of Covid, we mean it. And that means tourism is the first to suffer because of business prohibitions for states making that their priority. Only a handful of parks were able to actually open this year - I fully expect small, family-owned parks to continue announcing permanent closures because of a lost season of revenue.
The cases and number of deaths in Florida are about the same as in California with a much smaller population (about half) yet that state in fact loosened restrictions recently.
I still reckon it's mostly a political decision to keep things shut.
Six Flags Magic Mountain is not near the centre of LA yet is still closed thus the location of the parks does not seem to play a part necessarily.

There are no guarantees a vaccine will be available or that this virus will magically disappear. After the election I fully expect measures to change across the USA and states to be far more flexible to allow businesses including theme parks to operate within reason regardless of number of cases.
We are talking about the centre of movie production here, where several cinemas are still closed.

In the UK Heathrow will be introducing airport testing in a few weeks. If this is successful I fully expect this to be rolled out everywhere and thus remove the need for automatic 14 day quarantine if you are not tested positive. This could then in turn also allow the EU / UK - USA airspace to re-open.

If not air travel will simply collapse and not be able to return at all.

Even with an increase of cases today Boris Johnson did not introduce even more measures or suggest we go back to lockdown. It is either not effective enough or it costs the economy far too much which in turn will also cost our health.
Even if full lockdowns would be re-introduced in the UK I fully expect these to be quite short this time round.
 
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Professor

Previously AndrewRollercoaster
Stockholm, Sweden. Filmed this month. No one wearing masks on public transport.
Little social distancing.
Someone even handing out free drinks at the end.
Seems back to normal. Weird that theme parks are still closed.

 

Hyde

Matt SR
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The cases and number of deaths in Florida are about the same as in California with a much smaller population (about half) yet that state in fact loosened restrictions recently.
I still reckon it's mostly a political decision to keep things shut.
Six Flags Magic Mountain is not near the centre of LA yet is still closed thus the location of the parks does not seem to play a part necessarily.
I mean, California easing up their lockdown would only mean an increase in Covid cases, so the Florida comparison of having nearly fully reopened would show California's current status is the floor, not the ceiling, of Covid case limit.
There are no guarantees a vaccine will be available or that this virus will magically disappear. After the election I fully expect measures to change across the USA and states to be far more flexible to allow businesses including theme parks to operate within reason regardless of number of cases.
We are talking about the centre of movie production here, where several cinemas are still closed.
At present we know we'll have some form of vaccine by Q2/Q3 on the street, with relatively good access (the debate rather is on how effective the vaccine would be).

The national election doesn't really have sway on state's reopening, as each State's respective governor has full control on their state's Covid response - we do not have a coordinate federal effort whatsoever. In the event Biden would win, you would see more Covid prevention protocols implemented at the national level rather than loosening of restrictions, such as possibly implementing a federal mask requirement in public areas, greater circulation and funding of PPE, rejoining the WHO, etc.

TL;DR California parks will most likely not reopen until Q2 2021 at the earliest; even then, as we've seen with Governor Newsom's other actions, they would be looking for very low transmission rates for a number of months before considering a reopen of a new commercial sector.
 

cookie

Giga Poster
Liseberg will officially remain closed for the rest of the year as the government has again denied them permission to reopen, and the park expects to lose about $135m USD (1.2 billion SEK) in revenue and post an overall loss of about $56m USD (500m SEK). The park hopes to have its restaurants open for Christmas events, as they would fall under different COVID restrictions, and park manager Andreas Anderson is hopeful of a spring 2021 reopening.

https://www.expressen.se/gt/klart-jul-pa-liseberg-stalls-in/ (in Swedish)
 
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Professor

Previously AndrewRollercoaster
Liseberg will officially remain closed for the rest of the year as the government has again denied them permission to reopen, and the park expects to lose about $135m USD (1.2 billion SEK) in revenue and post an overall loss of about $56m USD (500m SEK). The park hopes to have its restaurants open for Christmas events, as they would fall under different COVID restrictions, and park manager Andreas Anderson is hopeful of a spring 2021 reopening.

https://www.expressen.se/gt/klart-jul-pa-liseberg-stalls-in/ (in Swedish)
I just don't understand what people expect will exactly change between today and Spring 2021. Will rules be more flexible if nothing will change, just because time has passed?

I personally don't think much will change at all.

There are more articles being pushed out into the media recently that states this exact headline on the BBC today:
 

Professor

Previously AndrewRollercoaster
Poland has been added to the quarantine list today if anyone was still wanting to go to Energylandia from the UK.
I think that pretty much only leaves Germany as coaster destination without quarantine.

What a joke this carry on. They should have just had quarantine from any country. I don't think this this has helped at all or prevented anything.
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
I just don't understand what people expect will exactly change between today and Spring 2021. Will rules be more flexible if nothing will change, just because time has passed?

I personally don't think much will change at all.

There are more articles being pushed out into the media recently that states this exact headline on the BBC today:
Let’s wait and see how this peak / wave plays out, because if it takes a similar trajectory to other European countries, even the current ‘milder’ restriction are disproportionate.

If deaths remain at less than 20% of the first peak, as seems to be the case in other countries, I think restrictions will be relaxed.

Just go onto the world stats site and look at countries like France, Spain, Italy... Compare the chart from the first and second wave of cases to the chart from the first and second wave of deaths for each country....

Scrap that... Here they are...

Spain

F35B021F-6791-4C18-94C0-F4ADEBC9B00A.jpeg
A203E859-61C8-40C8-AFA6-74BB81D23E4B.jpeg

France

F58F878D-496C-4F31-A70E-4BB62CC854FB.jpeg
095DF0AD-F44D-494E-B098-41FBDFACE25B.jpeg

ITALY

01BBCC3D-83E7-4DD9-915A-85E7A6040DC7.jpeg
011C7884-76EE-421D-9ED1-071B2D60EF7C.jpeg

As you can see, there is no evidence at all of this second wave coming anywhere close to being as deadly as the first. Whatever the reasons for that, if it continues do we really need to keep all restrictions in place? Other countries are ploughing through this second wave with no, or very few national restrictions. Spain for example is apparently thinking of implementing a travel restriction on the worst hit area, Madrid...

Of course this could all change, it could get much worse, which is why I say let’s wait. If the second wave stays as weak as it has been so far, things could look up sooner than you think. If things get lots worse, then we are in for a rough ride.
 

Professor

Previously AndrewRollercoaster
So we've had a prime minister who's father doesn't wear a face mask, an ex opposition leader who was dining with 8 other individuals and an SNP MP who travelled 400 miles on the train after she tested positive.

Anybody still want to follow the rules in the UK?
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
So president Trump has tested positive for Covid early Friday morning. I'm curious how this might change peoples outlook on the virus here in the US considering the number of people downplaying this pandemic.
So many questions...

The timing is very strange... How when everybody he comes into contact with is tested?

That’s all I’m saying on a rollercoaster forum.

If he has got Covid, I wish him and his wife a speedy recovery. Regardless of anybodies views on him as a president, he’s still a human, and this is a horrible disease we wouldn’t wish on anybody surely. The response on Twatter is quite frankly, sickening.
 
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witchfinder

Hyper Poster
Personally I'm hoping Trump tries out his bleach injection idea on live TV now he has the virus...

Seriously though, I can see this going one of two ways - either he gets through it with very minor symptoms and will then go on about how strong he is and become even more blase about Covid, or he will get very ill or even die and his followers will make some kind of martyr out of him which could lead to all kinds of problems. Either option is not very encouraging. :(
 

CanobieFan

Strata Poster
As an American CoasterForce(r), I can say today's news isnt suprising and honestly shocked it took this long to have happened.... but sadly I don't see this as any sort or turning point in people's mentality about the situation.

But also, also, aaaaahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaah
 
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