Six Flags Shares More on COVID-19 Operating Plans + Frontier City to Reopen June 5th

© Six Flags

Six Flags Entertainment sent out a mega-update today covering their elaborate plans to operate their theme parks in a COVID-19 world.  This is the "new normal," as they put it.

But first, they've also announced their first theme park to reopen, which will be Frontier City on June 5th.  The park will have very limited attendance and will open on June 5th through June 7th only for Members and Season Pass Holders only.  It will then open to all guests and gradually increase the maximum daily attendance throughout the month.  As stated earlier, the park will require the use of a reservation system to visit, and has a host of other information available here.

© Frontier City

“Frontier City, like all Six Flags parks, is an outdoor attraction that poses a significantly lower risk of exposure than indoor venues.  Our guests are not confined to one space for lengthy periods.  Guests move constantly throughout their experience; some are riding rides, some are eating in restaurants, while others are shopping in our souvenir stores, or playing games.  Because our parks cover dozens or even hundreds of acres, we can easily manage guest throughput to achieve proper social distancing,” said Six Flags President and CEO Mike Spanos.

“We have developed a comprehensive reopening safety plan that includes best practices from theme park and waterpark industry experts, along with top destination parks from around the world, which will allow guests to experience our parks in the safest possible way.  This ’new normal’ will be very different, but we believe these additional measures are appropriate in the current environment.”

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Along with the first park in the Six Flags chain to have an opening date set, the company also released a very robust set of standards for operations that meet or in most cases exceed local and government minimums for the safety of workers and visitors.

The plans are so thorough that they've created a 37 point summary of the changes they have implemented, which you can view online as part of Frontier City's reopening news.

© Six Flags

A lot of the programs we have already discussed in previous stories, so I will not go through each point one by one.  Some other things have come up or been clarified for us, though.

For instance, "contact-less IR thermal imaging" will be used to scan guests as they enter the park, a fast way to determine if anyone's temperate is more than 100.4, at which point they need further screening to see if they can enter.

Also guests over the age of two need a face mask that covers their mouth and nose, and it must be worn at all times.  Exceptions will be made on a "case-by-case basis for persons with disabilities, health concerns, religious restrictions, or other circumstances that in Six Flags’ discretion warrant a modification of this face mask requirement."

© Six Flags

The parks will also use new technology to scan bags with no contact to make sure proper safety standards are met.

Souvenir drink bottles, which grew very popular in recent years, will not be refilled, instead a new paper cup will be given.  Guests can then just use that, or put it in their bottle on their own.

This is the first time we've also been able to read the Six Flags Health & Safety Policy, which every guest must adhere to.  If not, Six Flags says that "if at any time Six Flags determines that a guest does not meet the criteria outlined in this policy, Six Flags reserves the right to refuse entry or (if the guest is already in the park) immediately remove the guest from the park.  These actions are at the sole discretion of Six Flags."  That sounds good to me, and I hope that is enforced.

A summary video of the changes and plans was also released today, which has been uploaded to YouTube by Amusement Insiders:

Stay tuned for more Six Flags parks reopening dates, I think there will be plenty over the next few weeks!