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Coronavirus Impacting Theme Parks


Hawaiian Coasters 325

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9 hours ago, ThrillKingsFitzy said:

I don’t expect it to last for long. I found out that the virus is dying down in China. I can’t remember what the source is, but I’m hoping that the virus dies down here soon

Stay in school kid, you've got a lot to learn.

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I didn’t think so until Disney and Universal decided to. Luckily they are only closing thru March so as long as they open back up in April I think it’ll be ok. If those parks make the decision to extend their closures longer then I doubt Cedar Fair would open. Guess it’s a wait and see game for now


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At this point it would seem Kings Island is covered by the order banning mass gatherings. An argument can be made they don't apply in whole, but places of the park would defiantly apply such as Boo Blasters Que line, or any of the shows falling under stadiums or arenas.  It is to early to know if the order will be extended past KI's opening date or what is going to happen. Rest assured the situation will change between now and then, we just don't know how yet so it is too early to make guess and spread false information with all of the speculation.

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Personally I would rather see this as a poll question if at all posted....

PilotDude nailed it -  "it is too early to make guess and spread false information with all of the speculation."

Given the Ohio Governor's Order yesterday (some passages still open for clarification and interpretation), a question posed like this without the facts of this Order mentioned will simply add to confusion and frenzy as many people will offer their thoughts without even knowing about the Ohio Governor's order and it's impacts if extended or strengthened...if an order says it can't open, it can't open...

Take for example California, their Order specifically exempted Disneyland, yet Disneyland made the decision to close...

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Correct me if I am wrong but only universal/Disney parks have closed.  SIX/FUN (Knotts)/Herschend are open or planning to. I think the regional parks will make the decision based on the regional conditions, community standards and governing authorities.  Here in Ohio it looks like the DeWine administration will make the decision to allow them to open or not.

The risks are high. If a major community spread is traced back to the park and mistakes are made (mistakes are always made) the short/medium term reputation of the park will take damage. 
 

The situation changes rapidly but at this point I think most if not all the regionals will open as planned, if they are allowed to open.  Conceivable restrictions could be put in place like lowering maximum attendance to avoid shoulder to shoulder crowds.  
 

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Maybe?  It’s a long ways away still, previous pandemics suggest that the spread will slow in the coming weeks, but it will also get worse before it gets better.  Take a look at South Korea and Japan with proper testing and quarantine it’s very possible to change the spread.  

Ohio has no idea how bad it is, because there is not enough testing occurring.  Some officials have also just made up insane figures of possible infected.  Actual testing would give us an idea of how bad this really is, and slow or stop the spread.

My guess is the park will open, maybe a few weeks late but it will open.  The most likely to be affected parts of the season are the beginning and the end, basically April, May, Haunt, and Winterfest.  While the cold and flu season ends with warmer weather, it starts up again in the fall typically around September or October and even if life goes back to normal this summer unless we stop this now it’s very possible it will be back and spreading even faster this fall.

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5 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

Conceivable restrictions could be put in place like lowering maximum attendance to avoid shoulder to shoulder crowds.  
 

And that maximum attendance number could be deemed too small to justify a park opening...

It could bring to parks virtual queue lines limiting lines to under the 100 person threshold... sorry Fastlane...

Could force a park to not open if threat of bad weather as they couldn't open up weather shelters as that would exceed 100 person threshold...

Would Flight of Fear, Boo Blasters, Festhaus, etc be impacted...

We are in unprecedented times and things are changing rapidly.  Nobody would have predicted on Monday want we waking up today..

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@Kenban  Granted this information is a couple of days old, but CDC representatives have stated there has been no evidence yet that covid-19 is impacted by weather conditions like many other virus strains including flu.  They really just don’t have enough data to work with right now.  It doesn’t help when the WH is threatened by data so blocks its collection.  
 

@Melody Knotts and SFMM are open.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

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1 minute ago, King Ding Dong said:

@Kenban  Granted this information is a couple of days old, but CDC representatives have stated there has been no evidence yet that covid-19 is impacted by weather conditions like many other virus strains including flu.  They really just don’t have enough data to work with right now.  It doesn’t help when the WH is threatened by data so blocks its collection.  

And the doctor at the Ohio press conference reiterated that fact and said they do not expect this to peak until Mid-April or early May....so if it doesn't peak until then, it is very well this order could be extended or strengthened...

This probably went into The Ohio State University decision last night to eliminate in-person classes the rest of the semester (previously they would resume the last few weeks of the term)...and I expect others will follow that lead...

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Here's the thing, the governor referenced gatherings as "events" like festivals, parades, etc. An amusement park is not an event. Yes, they offer events, but KI is not considered an "event" itself. It's a business. However, they could close it or delay opening if they feel that it's just not worth it with the conditions. I could see a delayed opening. Or if they do open on time, I wonder if the first riders auction will be affected since that is an "event" or if it goes long enough, maybe coasterstock could be affected. 

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There are many aspects to the order that are not clear and confusing. My oldest attends Delaware Area Career Center and they sent an email last night stating they are not sure if the “Extended 3 Week Spring Break” even allows them to offer distance learning over this period.  The programming and app development classes he is in are clearly excellent candidates, but many of the other programs are “do not try this at home kids” types like welding, firefighting etc.   

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22 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Here's the thing, the governor referenced gatherings as "events" like festivals, parades, etc. An amusement park is not an event. Yes, they offer events, but KI is not considered an "event" itself. It's a business. However, they could close it or delay opening if they feel that it's just not worth it with the conditions. I could see a delayed opening. Or if they do open on time, I wonder if the first riders auction will be affected since that is an "event" or if it goes long enough, maybe coasterstock could be affected. 

Here is the order

https://governor.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/governor/media/news-and-media/bans-mass-gatherings-of-100-or-more

"Mass gatherings are defined as any event or convening that brings together 100 or more persons in a single room or single space at the same time such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, theater, or any other confined indoor or outdoor space.

This would include parades, fairs, and festivals.

Mass gatherings does not include normal operations of airports, bus and train stations, medical facilities, libraries, shopping malls and centers, or other spaces where 100 or more persons may be in transit. It also does not include typical office environments, schools, restaurants, factories, or retail/grocery stores where large numbers of people are present, but it is unusual for them to be within arm’s length of one another."

It includes outdoor events in this ban...  Park guests are packed in at queue lines unless we virtual queue...the order doesn't exclude amusement parks (yet)...

But like I mentioned earlier, there is still clarification being made on this Order.  If the Order is extended to overlap KI and CP opening dates, I suspect at that time clarification will be made in that Order...

Scene75 announced last night they are closing, so we could see other entertainment places follow suit as well...

Is season passholder preview an event?

Lots of clarifications that will be forthcoming in the following weeks if the order is extended/strengthened...

 

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Here's something that confused me. On this chart, it said that total confirmed cased were over 100,000. Now its saying it dropped to 91,773. The deaths also dropped around 4,500+ to around 3,300. I've been observing this chart everyday so I know the original numbers were accurate.

Anyone speculate why this number seemed to drop overnight?

https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-everything-you-need-to-know?fbclid=IwAR3z2DQzSNAUXSmJngoxffUkKtWO_4xUVX0k-sNCuZxwzWruAz43ryMyNRc

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38 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

Frankly, I don't care about the minutia or definitions of this ban.   Kings Island shouldn't risk it and shouldn't open. 

If I had to make the decision and the KI was scheduled to open tomorrow I would completely agree with you.  But then again I don’t have to answer to unit holders or a board of directors either.  There is still plenty of time to gather more information and make a decision.  

But it is critical to keep in mind that the time for containment is long past, this is about mitigation now and slowing the spread so the healthcare system is not overwhelmed.  KI or any other entity closing is not designed to prevent you or I (vulnerable) from contacting Covid-19.  Just so we have a hospitable bed or ventilator available if we need it.  
 

10 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

Here's something that confused me. On this chart, it said that total confirmed cased were over 100,000. Now its saying it dropped to 91,773. The deaths also dropped around 4,500+ to around 3,300. I've been observing this chart everyday so I know the original numbers were accurate.

Anyone speculate why this number seemed to drop overnight?

https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-everything-you-need-to-know?fbclid=IwAR3z2DQzSNAUXSmJngoxffUkKtWO_4xUVX0k-sNCuZxwzWruAz43ryMyNRc

Because your source is State TV that has been claiming this whole thing is a hoax or a Chinese plot or something.  Care to see the video evidence?  I will gather and post it for you, but probably will get removed for TOS violation.

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Right now, any business should be looking at the intent behind the order.  The governor has been quite candid in his daily news conferences that the goal behind these closings is to improve social distancing by keeping large groups of people away from each other.  

When will this be over? Who knows?  But the measures in place now are an attempt to reduce the risk (not eliminate) and slow spread so healthcare services can keep up (i.e. "flatten the curve").  Unfortunately by slowing the spread, it also increases the duration before the event is over.  

Every one of us should take it as a responsibility to do our part.

 

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On 3/13/2020 at 9:48 AM, King Ding Dong said:

But it is critical to keep in mind that the time for containment is long past, this is about mitigation now and slowing the spread so the healthcare system is not overwhelmed.  KI or any other entity closing is not designed to prevent you or I (vulnerable) from contacting Covid-19.  Just so we have a hospitable bed or ventilator available if we need it.  
 

This statement cannot be stressed enough!  The whole idea is to have the resources available (hospital beds and doctors and nurses, etc.) so that healthcare providers can take care of the sick.  Otherwise, projections are that there will be a demand greater than 20 patients per available hospital bed.  That means 19 people per bed per hospital do not get treated.  With almost 790,000 beds in hospitals around the country, over 15 million people sick enough to be hospitalized would be turned away due to capacity issues... and that doesn't take into account other health issues competing for those beds like cancer and other ailments... We all expect and take for granted that if we are sick enough to be hospitalized that a bed and room will be available...

The side affect of this approach is that it comes at a cost of delaying the peak time when everyone is sick as well as lengthening the time the virus sticks around.  But if that allows everyone that does get sick to be able to be treated and reduces the number of deaths, it is worth it.  This is why it was reported yesterday that because of all these measures being put in place, it is not expected that the peak will occur until mid-April or early May.

Because of this, it is strongly likely that any state Governor Orders or additional Orders from the Federal government could be extended or implemented or strengthened based on that data available at that time...and once we get to the other side, things will re-open slowly and be re-evaluated...we may see things like parks not open this year...

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1 hour ago, flightoffear1996 said:

The thing is schools are closed and almost everything is closed as well. However most still have to go to work. Kids are going to have to go to day care and be around others anyway. Kids are going to be at parks, and other places as well. 

That is true but you seem to still miss the point.   A commercial daycare may 30 kids or home based 7 or so.   Not 500 or 2500 like elementary and High Schools.  This will/should/hopefully SLOW the rate of infection so those that do need intensive medical care without can get it.  Otherwise someone is going to have the job of deciding who gets to live and who doesn’t.  Sorry Grandma, you are old so this young person gets the ventilator.  

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