You know, I'm glad to see people in this thread who have been to the parks and felt safe from covid. I am a big fan of Disney parks and other theme/amusement parks in general, but I haven't been to one since covid started. But that's really more due to just not being able to go, than due to the virus.
But just for fun, I've been debating this whole topic with myself. It's a very difficult thing to discuss without it becoming political, and I'm tired of political bs, so I haven't really discussed the topic much with anyone.
Does anyone know if there have been any major outbreaks tied specifically to theme/amusement parks? I haven't heard of any, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any. Plus it's probably a pretty hard thing to actually pin down.
Overall, I'm thinking that theme parks should inherently be pretty safe with respect to covid, and here's my thinking:
On the one hand, there is definitely exposure to a lot of people from who knows where at a theme park. And all of these people are touching things (handrails, ride restraints, etc). So, that is all certainly not good.
But, on the other hand, most theme parks are either completely or mostly outdoors. And, although you will come into contact with many people at a theme park, you are very rarely in contact with any one person for more than, say, thirty seconds. The exception here would be waiting in an attraction line, so hopefully those lines are socially distanced adequately.
As far as spreading the virus through touching things, that's a problem, but it's easily mitigated through use of hand sanitizer. Although it doesn't completely eliminate that threat.
My understanding (and I'm no doctor) of the virus is that it spreads mostly through close contact, indoors, for an extended period (like 15 minutes) with an infected person. And at a theme park, we really don't have that. So, overall, I'm feeling like theme parks should be pretty safe, at least in comparison to many other entertainment venues. Still not as safe as staying in your house though.
Another thing I was thinking about is that many theme parks are running rides at half capacity, with empty rows between parties. And I'm wondering if that's actually the right way to go. I think if you run the ride at full capacity, get people through quickly, and you can reduce the line, so that people will not have to stand near each other as long. At least in theory.
Also, all of this is from a guest's point of view. Employees might be a whole different ball of wax.
What do you guys think?