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Coronavirus Impacting Theme Parks


Hawaiian Coasters 325

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6 minutes ago, medford said:

I don't know if this will happen, but here is a scenario: they find a drug or combo of drugs that can reliably treat the symptoms for a high percentage of the worst case victoms of Covid-19.  Perhaps that is the Z-pack/Hydro Chloroquine (sp?) that was just approved as an emergency measure, perhaps it is something else like using the anti-bodies from people that have recovered or caught the virus and never showed symptoms, but if they can treat the people that have the most severe cases, add in temperature sensors like I've seen in China at the metal detectors, I can envision a scenario where the park opens up around Memorial Day with little fear of death.  People may continue to get sick, similar to the flue, but if the fear of death is removed from the average citizen things can get back to "normal" or at least closer to "normal".  I'd imagine those with compromised health should remain extra careful and probably those who are in regular contact with them.

No scientific evidence, but not a sci-fi scenario either.

So far that combo is looking promising in the individuals that have tried it.  The biggest issue the medical community is trying to determine is were those people on the mend anyway or did it help.

But the more pressing issue is there is not the stockpile of that drug and now people that have been prescribed that for years for lupus or RA or any of the other approved uses now cannot get it because the supply is gone...so even if it is determined to be a cure, the supply is very limited, but hopefully they can ramp up and produce it.!

 

1 minute ago, coaster sally said:

I mean I doubt people will go from social distancing(first time in a century?) If it ends may 1st to jamming venues in a month.

You underestimate the power of the enthusiast:P

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2 minutes ago, coaster sally said:

I mean I doubt people will go from social distancing(first time in a century?) If it ends may 1st to jamming venues in a month.

I think it depends on the venue.  Lets say things get positive and social distancing is lessened at the end of April and KI opens up Memorial Day weekend.  While some will avoid the park and crowds, there will be enough people to ensure that Orion has 2 hour waits that weekend.

Baseball games on the other hand, people probably wouldn't be quite as motivated to pack the house when you can watch the game on TV.

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1 minute ago, medford said:

I think it depends on the venue.  Lets say things get positive and social distancing is lessened at the end of April and KI opens up Memorial Day weekend.  While some will avoid the park and crowds, there will be enough people to ensure that Orion has 2 hour waits that weekend.

Baseball games on the other hand, people probably wouldn't be quite as motivated to pack the house when you can watch the game on TV.

Or only coaster enthusiasts would be at Kings Island and baseball enthusiasts be at the ball park?

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^^

lets say it works, I doubt they have enough to give it to anyone that is diagnosed with mild symptoms, but I got the impression that there is a decent amount on hand to give to those with the worst symptoms and already on ventilators for several days.

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I think you'd get a lot of baseball enthusiast, but I'd consider myself both.  I'd definitely consider taking my family to KI, I wouldn't bother with a Reds game as i can watch that on TV.

But none of that matters much if they can't get a cure for the worst symptoms.  W/o that, I don't see anyway a place like KI opens up in any sort of regular way.  Baseball could open up w/o fans in the stands w/ less restrictions

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Some people seem to conflate the idea that we can ease social distancing to allow more people to work, but that is a far cry from throwing open the gates to stadiums, arenas and amusement parks.  That level is not going to occur until this is well under control.  Scientists are not going to recommend that until this is well under control.  What the politicians do is anyone's guess.

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Even ignoring the fact people would be hesitant to go to amusement parks I still think attendance & revenue would not be that good. So many people are going to be out of a job potentially, at the very least for 3 months. They’re not going to have the money to go an visit these parks (then again the parks will probably give away the gate). Fast Lane sales, a major source of revenue will also decrease significantly. Remember Fastlane is one of the main reasons KI got Orion. I don’t foresee a flock to amusement parks once they open.

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15 minutes ago, CoasterFan3180 said:

LEGOLAND New York is delaying its opening until 2021.
https://www.legoland.com/new-york/coronavirus-update/

Interesting...usually once one makes an announcement of that magnitude, the rest will follow suit.  Ohio led the way with closing schools and many states started following..

This makes it easy for them as they now don't have to deal with people requesting partial refunds by opening later, etc.  Their policy can simply be your 2020 pass is now valid for 2021...Of course people will still complain, and this is a new park so the existing customer base from that park perspective isn't there, but as of I have said, in instances like this and season passes, etc., sometimes sitting out a year to open makes the most sense financially...

CF renewal passes were bought to provide revenue for operating expenses over a 12 month period, not 18 months or whatever the extended time would be if they open this year and say that 2020 passes are good this year and the rest of 2021...

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32 minutes ago, CoasterFan3180 said:

LEGOLAND New York is delaying its opening until 2021.
https://www.legoland.com/new-york/coronavirus-update/

This is a new park which was not planning on opening until July.  Last time I saw a video of the location there was still a lot of work left to do.  If construction shuts down for a month or two there would be no way the park could open at a reasonable time this year.

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1 minute ago, coaster sally said:

Maybe legoland's construction is halted and there is no way to finish it for this year anyways?  Their projected opening was july anyways.

7DA18021-D81B-4637-951C-EE875592B729.jpeg
 

Most of the rides and buildings are installed. Rides needed to be tested, walkways needed to be built, and landscaping needs to be done. The last few steps can be done over the course of a few weeks. 
To put it in perspective I’ve attatcjed a photo I took of Valravn about two weeks before the ride opened. Note: this was part of a tour for engineers interested in the industry and we were allowed to take images.2BADB687-C09F-46F4-945A-BF58D45BD46E.jpeg

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10 minutes ago, coaster sally said:

Maybe legoland's construction is halted and there is no way to finish it for this year anyways?  Their projected opening was july anyways.

As of March 20th they were still in construction...now granted things change fast in today's environment.

https://midhudsonnews.com/2020/03/20/construction-continues-at-legoland/

7 minutes ago, Kenban said:

This is a new park which was not planning on opening until July.  Last time I saw a video of the location there was still a lot of work left to do.  If construction shuts down for a month or two there would be no way the park could open at a reasonable time this year.

And using that same logic, regardless of the reason for delaying opening, whether it was pushed a month because of construction delays or because of the virus, the fact of the matter is they determined not opening at all this year makes the most sense from a health perspective...and a financial perspective...and Disney and CF and others will likely be following suit...

The fact that they specifically referenced this virus as the reason and not hiding behind "construction delays" speaks volumes of the company...they could have simply gone with construction delays and chose not to..

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33 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

Of course people will still complain

Naturally, as there are still a lot of people who aren't grasping the magnitude of this situation, think it's overblown and get frustrated because they can no longer live their lives as if nothing has changed. It goes to show how privileged we are that through advancements in science and medicine, we no longer live have to live in fear of getting the common cold or yearly flu, and likewise, how quick people are to believe it is a "scam," as it was described to me a few weeks ago, when there is a virus that poses a genuine threat. 

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I would still stress, we are less than a month into this.  Less than 3 weeks ago I was in 4 airports in 2 days and didn't spend much time thinking about it.  If that business trip had been a week later I may have reconsidered.  Here in the US, we have barely completed one "incubation" cycle and lack data to make decisions on.  I work as a consultant/contractor for one of the Orlando resorts and they have told me that they have only made their decisions to what the state of Florida and local authorities have allowed because simply... they don't know.

There have been tremendous medical breakthroughs in the past 10 days.  Keep in mind, we're really less than 21 into it.  The next 10 should bring results from the past 10 days.  NOW, that said- these breakthroughs involve treatments.  Prevention will continue to be an issue for... who knows.  Vaccines are already in development- less than 3 weeks- but it may be months before they are approved.

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4 minutes ago, Outdoor Man said:

I would still stress, we are less than a month into this.  Less than 3 weeks ago I was in 4 airports in 2 days and didn't spend much time thinking about it.  If that business trip had been a week later I may have reconsidered.  Here in the US, we have barely completed one "incubation" cycle and lack data to make decisions on.  I work as a consultant/contractor for one of the Orlando resorts and they have told me that they have only made their decisions to what the state of Florida and local authorities have allowed because simply... they don't know.

There have been tremendous medical breakthroughs in the past 10 days.  Keep in mind, we're really less than 21 into it.  The next 10 should bring results from the past 10 days.  NOW, that said- these breakthroughs involve treatments.  Prevention will continue to be an issue for... who knows.  Vaccines are already in development- less than 3 weeks- but it may be months before they are approved.

Vaccines can take a year or more to develop and be ready. 

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6 minutes ago, Joshua said:

Naturally, as there are still a lot of people who aren't grasping the magnitude of this situation, think it's overblown and get frustrated because they can no longer live their lives as if nothing has changed. It goes to show how privileged we are that through advancements in science and medicine, we no longer live have to live in fear of getting the common cold or yearly flu, and likewise, how quick people are to believe it is a "scam," as it was described to me a few weeks ago, when there is a virus that poses a genuine threat. 

My fear on this is- probably a year after this situation is past tense- that we'll see that the Coronavirus was highly contagious but in the end, deadly, but not as deadly as reported (in the US anyway). 

I read a journal that states that the virus has been present and growing in the US since mid-December.  They report that of the 180,000 cases confirmed in the US- only those with mild-severe symptoms are getting tested and only 20% of them test positive.  They state, however, our actual numbers of those infected (currently and recovered) are unknown.  "Easily double, without breaking a sweat.  Probably more like 4 or 5 times the reported number and deaths early on were simply attributed to the flu or pneumonia before we really knew what was happening."  They also estimate that the death toll is probably approx 500 higher because of this.  

So, my fear is that when all is said and done we look back and have an illness with a calculated mortality rate of <0.5%.  using their numbers alone of 4000 deaths divided by 720,000 infections = 0.56%

That is to say, we're not going to know completely for probably another 18 months.

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3 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Vaccines can take a year or more to develop and be ready. 

I think this one will be different.  If multiple waves keep occurring and a vaccine has been showing positive results they may fast track.  I'm not medical or in Govt. so is purely my own opinion.

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Keep in mind that the virus may not necessarily be deadly to a lot of people, but it could be to those with lower immune systems not quite capable of fighting off the illness, and those are who we are trying to protect by social distancing. Hopefully, when this is all said and done, the mortality rate will be low, but that wouldn't necessarily mean COVID-19 didn't pose a genuine threat. It would likely mean the self-isolating was effective. 

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1 hour ago, Joshua said:

Keep in mind that the virus may not necessarily be deadly to a lot of people, but it could be to those with lower immune systems not quite capable of fighting off the illness, and those are who we are trying to protect by social distancing. Hopefully, when this is all said and done, the mortality rate will be low, but that wouldn't necessarily mean COVID-19 didn't pose a genuine threat. It would likely mean the self-isolating was effective. 

it is.  The projection was between 5-6 million infections.  In the end, though, that is up to 36,000+ deaths- mostly of older parent and grandparent age...

Let's pray for strong results with the recent treatment options coming out.

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3 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

A little retooling of the seat restraints and an unfortunate reduction in capacity but maybe they open the park if we use these.  Looks like it would work at Soak City as well.

 

 

A9688143-89D1-43AC-862F-BFD8757C8520.jpeg

Nah...you have to use Soak City provided flotation devices:P

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7 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

A little retooling of the seat restraints and an unfortunate reduction in capacity but maybe they open the park if we use these.  Looks like it would work at Soak City as well.

 

 

A9688143-89D1-43AC-862F-BFD8757C8520.jpeg

KI should set up a game using those things! Like in Soak City and/or during the summer nights event currently planned. 

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58 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

KI should set up a game using those things! Like in Soak City and/or during the summer nights event currently planned. 

Might even be able to modify the chain lifts to haul these up and just skip the trains all together.  Sure would satisfy those wanting a free spin.  Not going to work well with FoF however.  

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It's airborne. Nebraska scientists have proven it without officially "proving" it. But it explains the fast-spread. This means a couple things. 1) There's no stopping it, and going to the grocery store isn't safe no matter how much you socially distance. 2) It'll potentially spread so fast it'll be over sooner than later due to communal immunity.

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7 minutes ago, bjcolglazier said:

It's airborne. Nebraska scientists have proven it without officially "proving" it. But it explains the fast-spread. This means a couple things. 1) There's no stopping it, and going to the grocery store isn't safe no matter how much you socially distance. 2) It'll potentially spread so fast it'll be over sooner than later due to communal immunity.

Citation?

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9 minutes ago, bjcolglazier said:

It's airborne. Nebraska scientists have proven it without officially "proving" it. But it explains the fast-spread. This means a couple things. 1) There's no stopping it, and going to the grocery store isn't safe no matter how much you socially distance. 2) It'll potentially spread so fast it'll be over sooner than later due to communal immunity.

I referenced a study above that shows it stays airborne for 27 feet inside...so imagine the spread outside...

We can hope for immunity, but in places now seeing a second wave, they are seeing it defying the laws of virology and people are getting reinfected.  Nobody knows for sure yet if we will get communal immunity or not...

https://www.france24.com/en/20200328-can-the-coronavirus-infect-someone-twice

1 minute ago, CorkscrewMcPuke said:

Citation?

See my post earlier 3 hours ago above...

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