Coronavirus: Impact on Theme Parks
- Thread starter JammyH
- Start date
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
So pleased that we have stuck to the sensible timeline... Now is too early to be unlocking anything significantly, and start of July seems perfect for theme parks, (as I may have said several times in this thread. ?) Now is the right time to begin the process... but it MUST be a very slow process.
I still expect most of the economy to be back up and running in July, with social distancing measures still very important. And the fact our government hasn’t rushed to unlock too many things already, despite temptation, should stand us in a good position to stick to that timeline.
Not sure how serious the increase in R0 in Germany and Spain that is being reported in our media really is, but it was always a worry with them both unlocking so many things whilst still having so many active cases.
I still expect most of the economy to be back up and running in July, with social distancing measures still very important. And the fact our government hasn’t rushed to unlock too many things already, despite temptation, should stand us in a good position to stick to that timeline.
Not sure how serious the increase in R0 in Germany and Spain that is being reported in our media really is, but it was always a worry with them both unlocking so many things whilst still having so many active cases.
If this was any other country, I would have said July would be slow progress. However, for the UK, July feels extremely optimistic. The government announcement tonight is basically chucking everyone back into work, without providing the necessary PPE to allow them to do so safely. It's all very well and good encouraging people to cycle to work but for those who don't own a bike/can't ride one will be forced to ride public transport. For the last 7 weeks public transport has not been operating safely as it is impossible to social distance and there is no mask requirement! We are now chucking people back into an unsafe environment to get the economy up and running again and there is no doubt we are on course for a major second wave right now. Expect cases to start increasing again across England and hospitality sector reopening dates be pushed back from July to August and then September.
Tonight's announcement was as clear as mud. No concrete advice on what is allowed and not allowed. From Wednesday, we will be allowed to spend unlimited time outdoors sunbathing and driving to new locations, as long as we are 2m apart from others. There is nothing to stop us having outdoor gatherings with people from other households ie. friends and family as long as we are claiming to be 2m apart from them.
The restrictions removed tonight were only removed because the police couldn't keep up with enforcing them, as too many people had started to break the rules and host parties etc. I don't think the UK was ready to start moving out of lockdown, we locked down far too late causing a massive peak meaning we need a couple more weeks with proper restrictions before starting to move out of anything. I believe we are on a slippery slope again heading for another very large wave.
I think this is all media scaremongering. In Germany, yes restrictions have been relaxed but on the whole social distancing measures in place are very robust; masks in public transport and shops and 1.5m apart at all times in outdoor spaces. Yes, like here, there will be some wavering of the rules, but the real issue in Germany over the last couple of days was the protests, which would have pushed the R0 up for a temporary period of time.
The R0 is constantly fluctuating, perhaps it went above 1 for a day so instantly the media jump on it and make a big scary deal out of it. But then what we don't hear about is when it fluctuates again and goes back down to 0.7. If it's consistently above one, that's when we have a problem, not for one day like the media are reporting it to be some massive scare.
In my opinion the measures Germany and Spain are taking are moving in a more sensible approach than the UK. Allowing exercise such as tennis and basketball from Wednesday just encourages people to congregate from different households. And we've still had no advice from Boris Johnson regarding PPE...
I will be following Nicola Sturgeon's advice the next couple of weeks. I will continue to stay home and will make sure to cover my face when going to the shops to try and minimise transmission rates
Matt N
CF Legend
Why do you say that? We could well have a vaccine in mass circulation by the start of the 2021 season for most theme parks!
I'm taking any negative news article from now on with a pinch of salt.
Lockdown possibly helped to make sure the NHS was not overrun but I do not believe lockdown and social distancing are the only reasons this virus appears to be running out of steam.
Too many people are using this pandemic for political and ad revenue gain I reckon. The reporting in the media constantly does not appear to include enough perspective. The headlines have been totally insane trying to incite fear into people over their skin colour, age, weight and even trying to refrain them from having sex. As long as people keep clicking they will keep going down that disgusting avenue I guess. Complete insanity. There is a good chance the next fearmongering subject for the media will be found before theme parks are actually open.
Saturday 4th July 2020 I expect most UK parks to open and by then possibly without any restrictions at all.
Hopefully the next month goes well with careful steps forward.
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You are crazy if you think our parks can open in July without social distancing ?
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
To be fair, his wording on this section was very unclear... He actually said “at the earliest BY July” which suggests it could be in motion before July... Or it could just be yet another unclear message ??
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
The only way that is happening is IF we get a good antigen testing campaign completed, IF we’re found to have an antibody rate high enough to bring the R0 down to below 1 through immunity.
They’re some very big ifs, this is the UK, July is just around the corner, and given our track record on testing, we will fall at the first IF... So far they’ve carried out 37,408 antigen tests in their campaign to measure immunity, not nearly enough to make accurate estimates on the level nationally... Not gonna happen, sorry.
Edited... Tagged wrong person, corrected now ?
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Not of great interest to many I think but since it’s come up in the thread (in passing) I’ve ordered a private antibody test (the Abbott labs assay) for me and my partner - we’re in the UK. The idea being... it’ll perhaps influence whether we venture abroad as soon as possible. I know that immunity isn’t guaranteed but if we both test positive then the chances of a false positive are slim so there is some chance of immunity rather than ‘nothing’. We both think we had it in March.
Should be interesting.
Should be interesting.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
I hope you found a discount code ?
I was looking at them yesterday, decided I was going to buy 10 of the rapid tests from SureScreen, Derby instead at £6 a pop... Not as reliable as the Abbot one, but still an S/S/A of 91/99/97%. You can only buy these as a business though, as they test for both IgM and IgG, so cover both current infections and IgG antibodies. They are designed to be used by companies on employees.
Nope, no discount code, unfortunately! £200 for the pair of us. Pricey but.... the potential peace of mind of having some level of immunity (for now) could make the difference between enjoying a trip or it being miserable.
Interesting article in the Economist on the size of Disney's theme park/merchandise, related to their bottom line: https://www.economist.com/graphic-d...hanks-to-parks-and-resorts-then-came-covid-19
Specifically, in having the theme park and cruise lines shut down, the "parts and resorts" portion of business is was down 58% in Q2. Overall, Disney profits are down 91% year-over-year.
Specifically, in having the theme park and cruise lines shut down, the "parts and resorts" portion of business is was down 58% in Q2. Overall, Disney profits are down 91% year-over-year.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
For a bit more clarity, Dominic Raab has just confirmed 4th July on Sky News as the ‘first date’ on which pubs, restaurants and other entertainment venues will be considered for opening. Presumably includes theme parks.
Apparently a very large document detailing full guidance will be released at 2pm today.
Apparently a very large document detailing full guidance will be released at 2pm today.
caffeine_demon
Strata Poster
For any of those that are thinking about travelling over to Europe from the UK with some of their theme parks starting to re-open, may want to take a look at this:
UK 'to bring in 14-day quarantine' for air passengers
An airline industry body says it has been told coronavirus quarantining will start from the end of May.www.bbc.co.uk
Looks like we’re catching up and making everyone quarantine for 14 days on arrival in the UK effective “at the end of this month” with a currently unknown end date.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
And adding some random WTFness, people from France are exempt...
HUH??
Coaster Chall YouTube
Hyper Poster
Theme parks could axe queues to meet Covid-19 safety standards
Technology firm Accesso - whose clients include Thorpe Park and Alton Towers - is working on the roll-out of a system that will let customers book timeslots on rides via their mobile phones.
The problem with virtual queues is, that you need the space in other areas of your park. This works great for larger parks like Alton Towers, Europapark, Efteling or Energylandia, but the smaller ones like Drayton Manor, Thorpe Park or Phantasialand do not have much space outside of the attractions, which will most likely cause problems on the pathes. If you ever experienced Phantasialand when it's even slightly filled, you know what I mean.
In addition, the overall amount of people allowed in the parks will likely differ as well. Large parks will be able to welcome lots of guests, which makes it likely that they will reduce their losses or even earn money again. Small parks will have harsh limitations, which might not even make it reasonable to open up again. Keep in mind that you will need lots of staff to run the park "as usual", you will need additional supplies and have increased costs due to power and wear.
I think if a park will at least reduce the losses in this time, they will open again. If you reduce your losses, you will be able to hold on longer. I can actually see the chance for Phantasialand to have 50+% of its capacity being reserved for hotel guests to increase the cashflow. If all your guests stay in your hotel, you will earn way more money than just having a normal 1 day guest.
For larger parks, virtual queues are a viable option in my opinion. It would reduce the people in cramped spaces, and making it more comfortable for everyone. We might see virtual queues getting more common in lots of parks once Corona is over, if the system prooves to be working reliable.
PS: Energylandia does not need virtual queues. The Zadra queue alone can take about 2 hours of queue while maintaining 6ft+ of distance between everyone
In addition, the overall amount of people allowed in the parks will likely differ as well. Large parks will be able to welcome lots of guests, which makes it likely that they will reduce their losses or even earn money again. Small parks will have harsh limitations, which might not even make it reasonable to open up again. Keep in mind that you will need lots of staff to run the park "as usual", you will need additional supplies and have increased costs due to power and wear.
I think if a park will at least reduce the losses in this time, they will open again. If you reduce your losses, you will be able to hold on longer. I can actually see the chance for Phantasialand to have 50+% of its capacity being reserved for hotel guests to increase the cashflow. If all your guests stay in your hotel, you will earn way more money than just having a normal 1 day guest.
For larger parks, virtual queues are a viable option in my opinion. It would reduce the people in cramped spaces, and making it more comfortable for everyone. We might see virtual queues getting more common in lots of parks once Corona is over, if the system prooves to be working reliable.
PS: Energylandia does not need virtual queues. The Zadra queue alone can take about 2 hours of queue while maintaining 6ft+ of distance between everyone
Coaster Chall YouTube
Hyper Poster
That is all true. I'm sort of 50/50 on this cause there's things to suggest that it is the right move but it is like what u said about the smaller parks, maybe queue lines are better left alone when the parks reopenThe problem with virtual queues is, that you need the space in other areas of your park. This works great for larger parks like Alton Towers, Europapark, Efteling or Energylandia, but the smaller ones like Drayton Manor, Thorpe Park or Phantasialand do not have much space outside of the attractions, which will most likely cause problems on the pathes. If you ever experienced Phantasialand when it's even slightly filled, you know what I mean.
In addition, the overall amount of people allowed in the parks will likely differ as well. Large parks will be able to welcome lots of guests, which makes it likely that they will reduce their losses or even earn money again. Small parks will have harsh limitations, which might not even make it reasonable to open up again. Keep in mind that you will need lots of staff to run the park "as usual", you will need additional supplies and have increased costs due to power and wear.
I think if a park will at least reduce the losses in this time, they will open again. If you reduce your losses, you will be able to hold on longer. I can actually see the chance for Phantasialand to have 50+% of its capacity being reserved for hotel guests to increase the cashflow. If all your guests stay in your hotel, you will earn way more money than just having a normal 1 day guest.
For larger parks, virtual queues are a viable option in my opinion. It would reduce the people in cramped spaces, and making it more comfortable for everyone. We might see virtual queues getting more common in lots of parks once Corona is over, if the system prooves to be working reliable.
PS: Energylandia does not need virtual queues. The Zadra queue alone can take about 2 hours of queue while maintaining 6ft+ of distance between everyone