As it is set to open in a number of days, the Florida theme park Universal Orlando has warned its visitors that the theme park can not guarantee that they will not be exposed to the “inherent risk” of the coronavirus.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the theme park is gearing up for its reopening on the fifth of June, with a schedule of activities set to lead up to the opening day. On Jun. 1, the theme park will have employees come in to participate in a dry run. A number of VIP guests will be let in on Jun. 3, and then the park will be reopened to the public on Jun. 5.
As part of the new normal of operating while a global pandemic is ongoing, the theme park has put in place a number of safety measures. Social distancing will be implemented in the theme park, with signs reminding visitors to be at least six feet apart from each other. Employees will self-check before going to work and will be checked again once they arrive at the theme park.
Customers will also no longer be able to take part in meet-and-greets or go in interactive play areas or mist areas. Valet parking will no longer be provided and restaurant menus will now be single-use. The theme park will also be discouraging the use of cash, although they will still be accepting it.
These stringent measures are similar to the ones implemented by the Walt Disney Co. in their Shanghai Disneyland Park, which re-opened two weeks ago. In the Shanghai Disneyland Park, the temperature of visitors will be checked by a fever-screening system as they walk in, and markers are in place to encourage social distancing. Seats on rides were also marked to maintain social distancing, and constant cleaning and disinfection are also being done on park surfaces.
As the New York Post notes, the reopening of Universal Orlando follows the reopening of the Universal Orlando CityWalk entertainment and food complex several days ago. The CityWalk also implemented strict temperature check requirements as well as the wearing of masks.
Reopening these theme parks is important for these companies as it represents a huge chunk of their income. The parent company of Universal, Comcast, said that a loss of $500 million awaits them if they wait until June to reopen their parks. Similarly, the closure of Disney theme parks was a big part of the $1 billion impact the Walt Disney Co. experienced during this ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
With coronavirus cases continuing to rise worldwide, it may be some time before any theme parks stop implementing the current safety measures in place. According to the World Health Organization’s May 25 reports, 5,304,772 people around the world are confirmed to have COVID-19. The number of people that have died because of COVID-19 is now at 342,029 people.