Graceland Reopens This Week
More and more establishments are opening during the global coronavirus pandemic, but with changes in place to reflect the “new normal.” The latest popular attraction to do so is Elvis Presley’s Graceland, which will be opening its doors to the public on May 21.
As reported by USA Today, the Memphis location will be implementing a number of changes to comply with the guidelines set by health authorities to stem the spread of the coronavirus. For one thing, not only will visitors be required to wear face masks, but Graceland staff as well.
The temperatures of both staff and visitors will also be checked before they enter Graceland, with those showing a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) not allowed to enter the building.
Employees and visitors will be provided with hand sanitizers. Regular handwashing breaks will also be required from employees. UV light sanitizer wands, as well as commercial-grade cleaning, will be performed regularly as well.
The Associated Press also notes that Graceland will also be cutting down on the number of visitors that will be allowed into the venue. Before the global coronavirus pandemic, Graceland welcomed more than 600,000 visitors every year. With their new guidelines in place, participants in the Graceland tour will be reduced by 25 percent, while restaurant capacity will be reduced by 50 percent.
Another entertainment establishment that opened with measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus is the Shanghai Disneyland Park. Just like Graceland, the Shanghai Disneyland Park opened at a much lower capacity. Instead of welcoming 80,000 people which is its usual capacity, the Shanghai Disneyland Park was only allowed by the government to welcome a maximum of 24,000 people.
Just like Graceland, surfaces at the Shanghai Disneyland Park ar regularly wiped down, sanitized, and disinfected. Staff is on hand to enforce social distancing, and rides will have markings to make social distancing possible there as well.
As more and more establishments open up, measures like this will probably become more and more common since it does not look like the global coronavirus pandemic is stopping anytime soon. According to the May 18 situation report from the World Health Organization, there are now 4,618,821 confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world. The number of people who have died from COVID-19 globally is at 311,847 people.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update for May 18 pegs the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 1,480,349 people. There are now 89,407 people who have died from COVID-19 in the United States.