On the six-month anniversary of Disneyland temporarily closing its gates, the California Attractions and Parks Association (CAPA) is calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to provide the guidelines necessary to reopen theme parks.

CAPA executive director Erin Guerrero:

California’s amusement parks urge the governor to issue amusement park guidelines expeditiously so these vital community attractions can reopen their doors in a responsible manner and get residents back to work.

In addition to the Disneyland Resort, CAPA represents southern California parks Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain, SeaWorld San Diego, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Legoland California, plus Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and California’s Great America in northern California.

Guerrero called the impact that the closures have had to the state “devastating.”

Tens of thousands of jobs have been weighing in the balance. Hundreds of millions of tax revenue that support critical local, state, and federal programs, lost. And local business that rely on amusement parks continue to struggle, with many closing permanently.

CAPA and theme parks put together proposed guidelines back in April that included masks, social distancing, increased sanitation, contactless payment, reduced capacity, and employee training. Disneyland had scheduled a July reopening, but a spike in COVID-19 cases across the state delayed those plans.

Since then, many theme parks have been making additional plans and even changes to infrastructure in preparation for their reopening. However, Guerrero says, “in order to reopen, parks require guidance from the state and that guidance has not been forthcoming.”

Guerrero says that, they will not look the same as before, “but California’s amusement parks are ready to responsibly reopen.”

Other theme parks around the country, including Walt Disney World in Orlando, have reopened with no COVID-19 outbreaks.

Source: Orange County Register