Coronavirus: Impact on Theme Parks
- Thread starter JammyH
- Start date
UP87
Mega Poster
For sure any level of immunity is better than none. Still it'd be a lot better to just prevent an infection as there just too many fatalities on the path to helpful numbers of immunity. Business as usual is not at all helpful at this time.In all seriousness you’re looking at ‘herd immunity’ from too binary an angle... Yes 60% is needed to completely prevent transmission... But ANY level of immunity is better than none
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Agreed... Not quite sure we know that much though... Seems to be business as usual here in Poland, very little effort on the part of the public to reduce infections, no distancing, little mask compliance... Energylandia are doing their best to protect employees though, which is good...
Wonder why Poland doesn’t seem to have an issue??? There’s just too much we don’t know.
Edited to add: It also seems the maths regards to immunity could be way off... Seems there are other ways a person is immune apart from antibodies... No doctor obviously but have been reading that they’re looking into why some people just don’t seem to be susceptible to the virus at all... Now if that’s true it has huge implications... But again, we just DON’T KNOW so as you say, business as usual is a dangerous approach!
The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
Thats the problem though, you can't prevent an infection from a virus that is soo good at being infectious with any of the measures put in place. The only way you can guarantee to stop infection is to lock everyone, and I mean everyone, inside their homes 24/7 for a very long time. Coronavirus is just too infectious to contain any other way, it is here to stay and we are all going to have to learn to live with it especially if we don't develop long lasting immunity.
It does make me wonder if what we are being fed is true.
How accurate are the death figures given that not everyone who has COVID-19 on their death certificates actually died from it?
I know of 2 people who have the virus down as cause of death and yet they died from heart attacks and drug overdoses. I'm hearing similar stories from people I work with as well, someone died in a car crash but had the virus down as cause of death despite having a fence post where his face used to be....
Is this virus really as dangerous as we are all being led to believe or are we all being strung along like idiots in the hope that we didn't commit economic suicide for nothing?
UP87
Mega Poster
That's just not true. Social distancing and using masks in places where it's not possible to maintain distance seem to be working quite good for stopping the virus from spreading.
Well... that's not easy. There's rarely a clear singular cause of death. Especially with a virus that seriously attacks the immune system. Look at AIDS for example: In most cases it's not the cause of death but you die from a simple infection that wouldn't harm anyone healthy. That's basically the same to some extend with COVID-19.
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The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
True, but you can't guarantee that everyone everywhere will keep their distance from everyone else. And it is still debateable wether masks are actually effective and if they are, to what extent.
Not really dangerous for those who are younger than 44. Only 540 deaths in the UK up until 26th of June in that age bracket. IE it would probably be in the same region as yearly deaths from traffic in that age bracket if it continues at the current rate or decreases further, probably won't even match that figure. Very low risk it seems to me. Unless of course we have far bigger waves of this virus in the future but who knows.
I get we are protecting people in older age brackets with social distancing and mask wearing. But at the same time screening and treatment for other diseases seem very much delayed due to the pandemic. Furthermore the lack of encouragement to stay active at the moment isn't good either. Then there are mental health issues & suicides etc.
Thus the long term effects of the pandemic and measurements adopted may be worse than the deaths from the virus itself certainly in the sub 44 years age bracket I'd imagine.
UP87
Mega Poster
Don't underestimate the virus. https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/2562261/
Long term effects of an infection with Covid-19 are not yet researched. But it seems like it can harm multiple organs and scar the lungs. So even younger shouldn't take it easy and think they're not at risk.
We all have to work on this together to minimize the risk and find ways that enable us to have fun (at themeparks, restaurants, bars, etc) while staying safe.
Long term effects of an infection with Covid-19 are not yet researched. But it seems like it can harm multiple organs and scar the lungs. So even younger shouldn't take it easy and think they're not at risk.
We all have to work on this together to minimize the risk and find ways that enable us to have fun (at themeparks, restaurants, bars, etc) while staying safe.
The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
I think that lockdowns and whatnot came way too late as this thing had at least 4 months to spread around before anyone took any real notice.
I'm not suggesting anyone underestimate the virus, I'm just saying people should stop living in fear of it, adapt to the situation, take precautions and go about their business instead of destroying an entire economy.
I'm not suggesting anyone underestimate the virus, I'm just saying people should stop living in fear of it, adapt to the situation, take precautions and go about their business instead of destroying an entire economy.
This is honestly the best thing I have read in a long while; far better then the doom and gloom / negativity of some of the posts in this thread and other bits of the internet.
I think such a comparison stat is quite heavily skewed to make it look like Covid 19 is the end of the world without considering the details.
I specifically brought up the age factor because most of the deaths in other comparison categories in that particular chart will have deaths indeed in far lower age groups than Covid 19. (Malaria: Most victims are children. 57% of malaria fatalities are children younger than 5 years old).
Indeed there could be healthy young adults that get lung scarring but again how significant is that and does that warrant the "sex may help spread Covid 19" "BAME people are far more at risk" type of headline scare stories we have seen? I'm not so sure.
A new study points that close to 80% of those infected have no symptoms at all.
Coronavirus: Majority testing positive have no symptoms
A survey by the Office for National Statistics looked at who had been infected in the community in England.
www.bbc.co.uk
It could be even higher than that as I assume most people are not even getting tested and could have been carrying Covid 19 unknowingly. The job my girlfriend is in, she has to get tested every week or two. I've not been tested at all.
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owentaylor121
Giga Poster
I had a fantastic visit to Pleasure Beach yesterday, the atmosphere was just as wonderful as ever, the staff were all so friendly and seemed excited that the season is back in full swing, everything felt very well managed and at no point did I feel stressed or worried. The entrance procedure was also very well managed, you queued up in the car park, then were batched towards the entrance and told a number, that number was what queue you’d go into for the security check, it meant at no point was over crowding an issue.
Other park goers were also very respectful too, everyone kept their distance and the whole day just went by very calmly without any issues!
One cool/different thing I noticed, on the rows bolted off on Dippers trains they’ve actually removed the seats on these rows too, pretty cool and something I’ve never seen before!
Other park goers were also very respectful too, everyone kept their distance and the whole day just went by very calmly without any issues!
One cool/different thing I noticed, on the rows bolted off on Dippers trains they’ve actually removed the seats on these rows too, pretty cool and something I’ve never seen before!
Tonkso
Hyper Poster
Don't underestimate it, my colleague's 20-something flatmate is in hospital and we think it's something COVID related. Also, my nan did die of it, but she was in her 70's to be fair.
Credit where credit is due though, from what I've seen, Blackpool has hit the nail on the head with their precautions. I don't feel as confident with the Merlin parks and have not seen enough about the other parks, but if I was closer I might consider a BPB visit.
Credit where credit is due though, from what I've seen, Blackpool has hit the nail on the head with their precautions. I don't feel as confident with the Merlin parks and have not seen enough about the other parks, but if I was closer I might consider a BPB visit.
I do think we should minimise the spread and the virus clearly does affect younger people. My responses were merely to the question posed "is it dangerous". I think on average and from certain perspectives not so much for younger people mostly. Doesn't mean to say I am not minimising the spread myself. I've adhered to all guidelines and still am.
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I just don't understand the cattle penning at the Merlin parks at all. The Nemesis Inferno example was bad enough but looking at a vlog also Smiler's queue line seems to still have it.
No point people sitting far apart on coaster trains if you can get squashed together in the queue line.
I think Merlin should immediately make mask wearing in the queue lines mandatory even if some people obviously won't stick to it. Every BPB major ride/coaster queue line has staff btw (with the exception of Infusion I believe). I've not seen that at Merlin either. At Steeplechase's queue line the BPB staff member told me to wear the mask at all times.
No problem and I agree with it.
BPB made me feel really comfortable this weekend with how they dealt with the pandemic measurements and I look forward to going again.
Regarding the BPB masks themselves btw: They are pretty decent as long as you adjust it to size. The nose covering could have done with a bit of elasticity as I found it does drop down a bit sometimes. But overall for £5.99 pretty decent. Better than some custom masks I had printed. Even at large size those were squashing the blood flow to my ears. Disappointing.
I have also seen earsavers for sale. I might try those. Europa Park's snood type masks look good. I'm guessing we will see more of those for sale as they look more comfortable.
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Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Regardless of how dangerous it is (and I agree, it is) It’s actually really nice to be at a park with such a great atmosphere... Nice to forgot about the ‘C’ word for a while... Also, I can’t put my finger on why, but it seems so much prettier, and the theming seems to be better than I remember!!! I’m sure they’ve removed a lot of plastic tac, but I can’t say exactly what or where... ?
Anyway... Give me this kind of atmosphere over outdoor social distancing any day!!!
This however is a lot more concerning!!! Beiing indoors!!!
Anyway... Give me this kind of atmosphere over outdoor social distancing any day!!!
This however is a lot more concerning!!! Beiing indoors!!!
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The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
I've only just noticed your edit ?
You are correct in that COVID is an aggravating factor for other conditions and will lead to some uncertainty as to cause of death in those who have died with the virus.
My point however was that some people were having COVID as cause of death but they either tested negative for the virus or they weren't tested at all. This means the death figure is being inflated by guesswork. One person was told that putting COVID as cause of death means they don't have to perform a post mortem examination.
On Owentaylor121's post, I looked at the first picture first and thought......... "I think something is missing...."
Then I actually read what he wrote and I was like "ohhhhhhhhhhhh now I get it, makes sense to me ?"
Indeed, it is nice to see people getting back out and enjoying themselves.
I see it at work and it just goes to show how much of a difference it makes to people to forget about the world for a day and scream loudly. Which is ironic given all the signs reminding people to keep their distance and look like a bank robber ?
What are the queues like?
Hyperion looks so good. Might be more interesting than all B&Ms gigas even, for me. Just looks more intense with the snappy direction changes.
I thought masks were required to be worn throughout the park, no? Seems quite a few people not doing it. Or is just advised?
UP87
Mega Poster
Neither distancing nor masks inside: I don't understand it. You're not getting anywhere faster by not maintaining social distancing in queue lines. I heard several people say they really like social distancing in queues as they don't have anyone breathing in their neck.
At least in Germany it's quite usual that you don't perform an autopsy on all dead but guess the cause of death. Typically it's not really interesting to find the exact cause of death when you're not suspecting a crime - and as we agreed before in many cases there's not a singular cause of death. For the statistics a simple test for covid would be nice anyway. Especially as we are still gathering information on this virus and accurate numbers would for sure help. But even if the numbers were badly inflated it's not looking good and if we don't find any vaccine or really effective medication I'm afraid masks and social distancing are here to stay and will have to become part of our culture.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
I was speaking to an English bloke who lives here and he told me that as they’ve been back up and running for ages now, with little change in infection rate, things are relaxing... He told me EVERYONE was wearing masks almost everywhere when things first eased, but now they’re slowly relaxing.
In queues you’re supposed to wear a mask, but no enforcement in queues any more... On rides is loosely enforced. Probably about 80% wear masks in queues, but probably only 30% wear them properly covering their noses and mouths. No distancing whatsoever!
Queue times for thrill rides are short, park is packed with families and kids... School holidays.
Hyperion pisses all over any B&M, excuse my language but there's just no comparison... It provides that floater but does a lot more too, it has a varied mix of forces
Bit rattly in the wind though ?Edited to add queue times
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