Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and other large California theme parks are high-risk settings that could increase exposure to COVID-19 and lead to outbreaks prolonging the coronavirus pandemic, according to state officials.
California issued long-awaited theme park reopening guidelines last week, but the new rules could leave small parks closed for weeks or months and major players like Disney and Universal unable to return until early 2021 or next summer.
SEE ALSO: No California amusement parks can reopen right now under new state guidelines
Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, SeaWorld San Diego, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Legoland California and other large California theme parks closed in mid-March amid the pandemic and remain shuttered under the new state guidelines in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy until their counties reach the yellow/minimal tier 1 risk level.
State officials visited Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Pacific Park, Disney World and Universal Orlando to review COVID-19 health and safety measures before issuing the California guidelines.
California Health and Human Services secretary Mark Ghaly laid out the risks of reopening large theme parks when he announced the new COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
The state’s chief medical officer explained during the release of the new guidelines why large theme parks were higher-risk settings than small theme parks and outdoor professional sports stadiums.
Let’s take a closer look at the seven primary concerns state officials have about reopening California’s largest theme parks and the solutions offered by the shuttered tourist destinations.
SEE ALSO: When can Disneyland and other major California theme parks reopen?
1) Big crowds
State officials took aim at one of the chief complaints about large theme parks: Big crowds.
The trip to Florida theme parks by state officials raised concern.
“The level of mixing even without masks seemed very random and concerning to us,” Ghaly said during a news conference.
The random, large-scale mixing of households makes it difficult in a theme park setting to control who passes by whom with or without a mask, according to Ghaly.
Another challenge related to big crowds: Contact tracing.
The constant mixing of theme park visitors makes it difficult to know where somebody was during a specific time, activity or event, according to Ghaly. Random crowd mixing makes it hard to know who was in a theme park at any given moment in the event of a disease investigation, Ghaly said.
The new guidelines for large theme parks call for advance reservations and reducing attendance to 25% of capacity.
Theme parks argue attendance caps and reservations would help reduce crowding. Disneyland has announced that parades, fireworks shows and nighttime spectaculars that draw large crowds would be suspended upon reopening.
2) Social distancing
Another big gripe among theme park fans was also a chief concern for state officials: Long lines.
The Florida theme park trip reassured state officials about queue management.
“Things that we saw that we were very reassured by were really great management of how lines were managed,” Ghaly said during a news conference. “Keeping separate groups apart while in a line, while on a ride.”
State officials are concerned about maintaining physical distancing throughout the entire theme park experience — from waiting in line for food to visiting the restroom, according to Ghaly.
Theme parks have established a host of health and safety protocols that include everything from six-foot social distancing markers in all attraction queues to virtual queueing for popular rides to mobile ordering at food stands.
SEE ALSO: First Disneyland coronavirus masks now available at Downtown Disney
3) High-touch environment
A theme park is a high-touch environment — from door knobs and trash cans to queue railings and ride restraints.
“Many surfaces get touched and handled by a number of different people,” Ghaly said during a news conference.
Most parks have established “clean teams” charged with a near-constant sanitizing of high-touch areas.
Theme parks have instituted health protocols to encourage regular hand cleaning — installing numerous washing and sanitizing stations throughout their parks.
Contactless transactions at point-of-sale locations throughout the parks also reduce touch points.
Security procedures have been updated at most theme park entrances to reduce contact between security officers and visitors’s belongings.
SEE ALSO: Disney California Adventure to reopen Buena Vista Street for shopping and dining
4) Indoor attractions
Ghaly touted the outdoor nature of California’s small theme parks as one of their benefits compared to large theme parks.
“They’re almost exclusively outdoors,” Ghaly said during a news conference. “They don’t have as many indoor venues or aspects of being indoors. Even many of the eateries are outdoors.”
Some Southern California theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood have a number of indoor attractions. Others like Six Flags Magic Mountain and SeaWorld San Diego feature mostly outdoor rides.
Many parks plan to use virtual queueing systems to minimize wait times in indoor areas of attractions.
Legoland California has offered to close the few indoor attractions at the Carlsbad park and only operate outdoor rides.
Most live stage shows are not expected to immediately return to theme parks. Disneyland canceled “Frozen: Live at the Hyperion” and “Mickey and the Magical Map” and plans to lay off more than 200 actors from the theatrical shows.
SEE ALSO: Closed Disneyland a $5 billion hit to Southern California economy, Cal State Fullerton says
5) Long-distance travel
State officials want to discourage out of state and international travel, according to Ghaly.
Large theme parks draw thousands of visitors from a broad geographic base, Ghaly said.
“You might have thousands of visitors coming together from a broad geographic area,” Ghaly said during a news conference. “Not just the local community, but from other parts of the nation and sometimes even the globe.”
California’s small theme parks must limit attendance to visitors from within the park’s county.
Outdoor professional sports stadiums will be required to limit fans to those living within 120 miles of the venue — a proposal that was reportedly part of initial draft theme park reopening guidelines.
Universal Studios Hollywood officials say the park relied on local visitors before the pandemic. Southern California theme parks expect national and international travel to the region to be virtually non-existent when they first reopen and potentially remain stagnant for several years due to the pandemic.
SEE ALSO: Newsom vs. Disney: Pandemic depresses California’s fun businesses
6) Extended visits
National and international travelers tend to stay for a number of days or a whole week in areas surrounding California’s large theme parks compared to locals who might visit a small theme park for just a few hours, according to Ghaly.
“That might promote mixing and congregating not just at the activity, but within that community,” Ghaly said during a news conference.
Visitors to large and small theme parks will be required to make advance reservations under the state guidelines. Theme parks with on-property hotels would have the ability to control each visitor’s length of stay.
7) Outside the gates
Tens of thousands of people visiting a large theme park could have a significant impact on surrounding businesses like hotels, restaurants and retail shops, according to Ghaly.
“People may keep their guard up while they’re in a theme park, but when they are milling around the community their guard may go down,” Ghaly said during a news conference. “That could be just enough to create outbreaks and transmission risks that California just doesn’t want to see.”
Theme parks would have little control over independent businesses outside their gates, but city, county and state officials would have the ability to enforce COVID-19 health and safety measures at area businesses.
Most businesses outside theme park gates like hotels, restaurants and retail shops have already been issued reopening guidelines by the state. Convention centers and live theaters have not yet received clearance to reopen in California.
