Six Flags is active again.
On Friday, the Texas-based theme park operator announced plans to reopen all 26 locations for the 2021 season, including five locations that remained closed in 2020 due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions.
The company further confirmed its intention to recruit “thousands of team members” for the upcoming season, exclusively through online recruiting events.
“Our guests and team members are ready for the return of fun and signature Six Flags sensations in 2021,” said Senior Vice President Park Operations Bonnie Weber in a release. “Last year, we set the standard for the safe operation of our parks and entertained millions of guests in accordance with government and CDC health guidelines at 21 of our 26 parks.”
Weber added that the company is currently in the process of “setting firm reopening dates” for its parks in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mexico City and Canada.
Six Flags warned that the reopening dates, while scheduled for 2021, were also subject to change depending on local, state or federal guidelines.
Six Flags had initially ceased its theme park operations in mid-March 2020 and only reopened its first location – Frontier City, Oklahoma – on June 5. Twenty of its other parks, to be followed by the end of the year, all with new cleaning, hygiene protocol and social distance.
Other policy changes included facial covers and temperature controls for guests and employees; a new online reservation system that can be used by guests prior to booking a visit; limited capacity at all parks; and the switch to credit card or mobile payments only, to minimize contact between guests and merchants.
On its website, Six Flags still warns guests to “evaluate their own risk” before deciding whether to visit the parks.
“People who do not show symptoms can spread the Coronavirus if infected, any interaction with the general public carries an increased risk of being exposed to the Coronavirus,” the site reads. “By coming to the park, you acknowledge and agree to assume these inherent risks associated with attending.”
However, Mike Spanos, CEO of Six Flags, had said the parks were ready to embrace a ‘new normal’ after the Frontier City location reopened in June 2020.
“This ‘new normal’ will be very different, but we believe these additional measures are appropriate in the current environment,” said Spanos.
Information on all upcoming Six Flags additions and announcements, including recruiting initiatives, can be found here.