New York is set to let amusement parks open in early April and overnight camps open this summer as long as they submit reopening plans to the state.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that arcades and other indoor family entertainment centers can open with 25% capacity starting March 26. Outdoor amusement parks can open with a third of their normal capacity by April 9, while day and overnight camps can start planning for reopening this summer.
Rob Norris, president of Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester is excited by the announcement about reopening, even if capacity will be limited. The park closed last summer because of the pandemic.
"We’ll be awaiting the specific guidance, that’s probably going to be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks, for the details, but 33%, it’s a start," Norris said. "We hoped for more than that, but maybe come July, when things open up more, we can open up even larger capacity than that."
Norris said that Seabreeze has kept on its full time staff of 25 people through the pandemic. But when they are open, which usually begins in May, they have around 800 seasonal workers.
So far, the rules for amusement parks will include masks required on rides.
Indoor family entertainment centers and outdoor amusement parks must require face coverings, collect contact information from guests, clean and disinfect certain attractions and provide enough staff to ensure compliance with COVID-19 rules. Indoor areas have to meet air filtration, ventilation and purification standards, and tickets should be sold in advance.
The state said it would release more specifics in coming weeks.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
