Amusement parks all over the world were closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, people are required to stay at home, avoid non-essential travel, and practice social distancing.
It is also “against the rules” to form crowds as that can be prime for quick transmission of the virus. Hence, going to amusement parks is a no-no.
In Japan, Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea, and Osaka’s Universal Studios Japan have been closed since late February.
As infection number looks to be decreasing in Japan, amusement parks are reopening soon. To ensure safety, they are laying out plans and putting precautions in place.
In lieu of this, the East Japan and West Japan Theme Park Associations created a document called “Guidelines to Prevent the Spread of Infection of the Novel Coronavirus”.
According to the document, which was posted on Nagashima Resort’s website, a number of suggested policies in a COVID-19 world were proposed. These include:
- capping admission to parks
- checking guests’ temperatures at park entrances
- denying admission to those with fevers
- asking all guests to wear masks while inside the park
- keeping windows and doors to indoor attractions open for better ventilation
One policy that caught our attention has something do with how attractions and rides will be managed.
“Have guests wear masks, and urge them to refrain from shouting/ screaming,” the document read.
This means that guests are requested to exercise silent screams even when on thrill rides, which can be quite unimaginable.
Aside from that, guests are requested to “refrain from shouting/ screaming” in the sections for indoor attractions and costumed character shows. This will also include the haunted houses and meet-and-greet with mascots inside the amusement parks.
Hugging and engaging in any form of physical contact between staff in costume and guests is also prohibited.
Moreover, since staff will be wearing masks, they are taught to develop gestures that can communicate friendliness now that their smiles will be hidden.
Still, these are merely guidelines, and enforcement is another thing. There is also no information on whether violators will be thrown out of amusement parks for showing signs of having fun.
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