CoasterFan3180

Ohio looks like they’re in the middle of a COVID spike right now, averaging 2333 cases per day as of yesterday. I wonder if Dewine might add additional restrictions and/or order certain businesses to close in the next few weeks, though I don’t think there will be a second lockdown/stay-at-home order unless hospitalizations and deaths become significantly worse than they were in the spring.

^ I don’t really think that’s the best move right now. IMO, the COVID restrictions at the parks like masks and social distancing should remain in place until a vaccine or effective treatment is widely available, which is still at least several months away at this point. Even though parks have thankfully not been the source of any major COVID outbreaks, it’s better to be safe than sorry right now.

Yeah, I definitely don’t think masks should be mandatory once the pandemic is over, though it might not be a bad idea to wear a mask if you have go out in public while sick with any contagious illness (cold, flu, etc.) going forward.

So what are everyone’s thoughts on what the 2021 season at the parks may look like at this point? If a vaccine and/or effective treatment becomes available in the next several months or so, maybe there’s a chance we could have something resembling a normal summer at the parks next year. If that doesn’t happen within that timeframe, I’m afraid that next summer may look fairly similar to this one.

Kennywood and Lake Compounce have cancelled their fall/Halloween events and will be closing for the season on Labor Day, September 7th. https://www.kennywood.com/calendar https://www.lakecompounce.com/hours-and-directions/calendar

DeWine issuing no new orders as of now but urging Ohioans to take caution and wear masks in public.

^ R naught below 1 basically what I was trying to say. Even if the epidemic gets under control, masks and social distancing are likely going to be the norm until a vaccine or effective treatment are available because there have been examples from some countries that one person acting recklessly can trigger an outbreak. I’m cautiously optimistic that a vaccine or treatment will be available in the foreseeable future since there’s been some encouraging news in that area. Until then, mask up!

This is why I really wish everyone would just get on board with wearing masks in public. The director of the CDC has said that if everyone in the U.S. wore a mask, the epidemic could be brought under control in about 4 to 6 weeks. thathttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-cdc-idUSKCN24F2PG

^ Yes I tried that, did not work.

Do any KI associates here know if or how Cedar Fair associates can make a reservation? I’m a Carowinds employee who will be going up to Cedar Point soon for several weeks to help staff the park while Carowinds is still closed, and I was hoping to stop by Kings Island on my way up there to ride Orion, but can’t seem to find a place on the app to make a reservation with my associate ID.

Part of the reason I don’t expect Haunt mazes to happen this year is because maintaing distance from people in front of and behind you while walking through a dark maze seems hard to do, plus I don’t know how parks would be able to enforce that.

^ That’s what I was thinking as well. I can see parks remaining open on fall weekends but Halloween mazes and attractions may be cancelled for this year. Creating Haunt mazes that respect social distancing guidelines but still give people a good scare sounds like a fairly hard task.

I’m willing to bet we’ll have a Covid vaccine available at some point. There are over a hundred vaccine candidates in various stages of development right now, I’d hope at least one or two of them will work.

Exactly. I am fine with wearing a mask and social distancing for for the duration of the pandemic. Once it’s over, that’s a different story.

Arnolds Park, a small boardwalk park in northwest Iowa which had already reopened, is temporarily closing again due to rising Covid-19 case numbers in the area. I’m afraid we might also see this happen at some other parks. https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/arnolds-park-announces-temporary-closure-due-to-covid-19/article_ce456da2-c460-5a7c-8cbb-cc04ec8d2174.amp.html