Six Flags is back in business.
On Friday, the Texas 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 has also confirmed its intention to hire “thousands of team members” for next season exclusively through online employment events.
“Our guests and team members are ready for the return of Six Flags emotions in 2021,” Bonnie Weber, senior vice president of park operations, said in a press release. “Last year, we set the standard for the safe operation of our parks and entertained millions of guests in accordance with the government and the CDC Health Guidelines at 21 of our 26 parks.”
Weber added that the company is currently working on “establishing firm reopening data” for its parks in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mexico City and Canada.
Six Flags has warned that its reopening dates, although planned for 2021, may also change depending on local, state or federal guidelines.
Six Flags initially closed its theme park operations in mid-March 2020, reopening its first location – Oklahoma’s Frontier City – on June 5th. hygiene and social distancing protocol.
Other policy changes included covering the face and checking the temperature for guests and employees; a new online booking system to be used by guests before booking a visit; limited capacity at all parks; and switching only to credit or mobile card payments to minimize contact between guests and providers.
On its website, Six Flags still warns guests to “assess their own risk” before deciding whether to participate in its parks.
“People who do not have symptoms can spread Coronavirus if they are infected, any interaction with the general public has an increased risk of being exposed to Coronavirus,” the site states. “By coming to the park, you acknowledge and agree that you take these inherent risks associated with your presence.”
However, the CEO of Six Flags, Mike Spanos, said that the parks are ready to embrace a “new normal” after the reopening of its Frontier City location in June 2020.
“This new ‘normal’ will be very different, but we believe that these additional measures are appropriate in the current environment,” Spanos said.
Information on all future Six Flags additions and announcements, including its hiring initiatives, can be found here.