May 10, 2020 4 min read

The traditional springtime start of roller-coaster season has been delayed as amusement park operators struggle with the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Attractions and theme parks began shutting down in January, with Shanghai Disneyland being the first to close due to the pandemic. Disney parks in Anaheim, Calif., and Orlando, Fla., followed suit in March, closing hotels and resorts as well. Six Flags Magic Mountain in California announced at the end of March that it temporarily suspended operations, with plans to open in mid-May.

Closer to home, on April 1, Kennywood Park in West Mifflin announced it would not be adhering to its traditional opening on the first Saturday of May and could not provide a firm date for when it would open. As a result, season passes have been extended to the end of June 2021.

“Kennywood is committed to reopening as soon as safely possible,” said Nick Paradise, interim director of sales and marketing. “At the present time, however, it is too soon to provide a definitive opening date for the park. Our highest priority remains the health and safety of all of our guests and team members. We are preparing protocols and procedures to address social distancing, disinfection, guest education, hand sanitization, respiratory hygiene, and other health and safety factors.

“We will continue to closely follow the guidelines set forth by local, state and federal government officials and health experts as we prepare to resume operations,” he added. “We look forward to once again providing a place for families to create lasting memories at Kennywood.”

In neighboring Ohio, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which owns Cedar Point in Sandusky, has begun cost-reduction measures as its parks remain closed.

“As we work to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, guests and business partners from the effects of COVID-19, it’s important we also embrace measures that will ensure our financial flexibility through this difficult period,” said Richard Zimmerman, president and CEO of Cedar Fair, in a prepared statement. “After social distancing recommendations by the authorities are lifted, we look forward to opening our parks as soon as reasonably possible.”

In the wake of the outbreak, nearly all seasonal and part-time labor costs have been eliminated until the parks open.

Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Parks Services, a company that does consulting work with the theme park industry, said he started keeping an eye on COVID-19 shortly after it was discovered in China.

“We have really been putting together a summary of top-line considerations to accommodate the guests and make the parks safe,” he said. “We’re shooting for, of course, to get some parks open for the season. We have to see what we’re up against with the implementation of these new programs.

“You’re going to see face masks, temperatures being taken, thermal imaging, distancing. “The new best friend of every theme park goer is going to be hand sanitizer. There’s going to be hand sanitizer everywhere you turn around in the parks.”

When asked if he saw any parks opening this summer, Speigel said that’s the question everyone is pondering.

He went on to explain that he expects to see some parks testing operations in June and he has been watching the practices of other parks in Asia, Europe and South America to see what their practices are as a template. In the meantime, parks will experience a reduced capacity to help keep people properly spaced throughout the park.

“Some (safety measures) are here to stay, while some are here for a short term and will go away,” he said. … “From our standpoint, it’s going to be hygienic. I think our industry for the next two to three years is going to see the impact.”

He said if the parks would reopen, and were forced to close again due to a resurgence of COVID-19, it “would be horrible.”

“We’re a very resilient industry, we bounce back quickly from catastrophic events,” he said. “It’ll take a bit of time because it’s new, but we will make it safe and secure for people to come back.”