I'm shocked that so many of the parks around the world have begun reopening, I honestly didn't think there'd be many parks across the world reopening this year, good on them. I'm also glad to see that places such as Alton Towers can partially reopen their gardens, however I must say it's disappointing that Zoos are unable to reopen, with places like Twycross and Chester Zoo being on the brink of bankruptcy. If the legislation were to be lifted on Zoos, that could allow Drayton Manor and others to reopen somewhat and make some form of money. Thinking about it I can't imagine that it would cost much extra to run the Zoo for customers since I imagine the keepers are on site anyway. I suppose Drayton Manor are in the "unfortunate" position to have the Zoo currently still requiring money without actually giving much back, the Park I imagine isn't costing them much at the minute, but animals need feeding and treating, which is an ongoing high cost which could drain the finances.
In terms of the park, like has been said above, a one way system could be implemented super easy, as a matter of fact one was put in place for the "RunThrough" running event that was planned and has since been cancelled. But I don't think that would work, surely it would just place extra stress on certain rides and less on others, which is the complete opposite of social distancing? I think if Drayton Manor want to reopen then they seriously need to start adopting technology, they should really consider the offering of pre-booking attractions which guarantees social distancing and reduces overcrowding.
Also, whilst it's good and well rushing to get the park open, the second they do they have the issue of making money, at the minute they're only needing to pay the Keepers I imagine, but once all the other staff for departments like catering, photography and ride operations come back, that's a lot of outgoing money on wages. They need to make sure that they are profitable before they open; I think it's something missed quite a lot that whilst it's good that companies can reopen, it could also be the make or break time for them since they are paying staff salaries whilst being unable to make the same amount of money due to social distancing, whether that be reducing capacity and thus increasing operating costs, or through limiting entry figures.
I think that rides which rely on interaction through touch such as Sheriff's Showdown, 4D Cinema, Drunken Barrels, Flynn's Fire Rescue, Captain's Sea Adventure, Jeremy Jets, James and the Red Balloon, will not reopen since these rides effectively encourage people to touch them, and even with cleaning this might not be ideal - I thought touch was the one of the main ways of spreading this still. I also think rides like Apocalypse, Shockwave, Stormforce 10 and Accelerator will be challenging to operate either due to close proximity of staff to customers, but also how tight and enclosed the rides and their stations are (even if the exit was to be used as the entrance, how is 2m put between those queuing and those exiting the ride?).
It's challenging for a park I imagine, especially without technology, I really think that considering pre-booking is the way forward. Also, temperature checks are great but there's no way of guaranteeing as this is just one symptom, they need to be prepared to take the hit if they reduce capacity and remain profitable, and also take the hit from people coming down with symptoms and cancelling at the last minute (maybe a flaw of the prebooking system). It's a really challenging one and I'd hate to be in their shoes right now. I do think the Zoo should be allowed to reopen, however, just to stop it running at a loss constantly whereas places such as Thorpe Park I imagine have close to no operating costs currently.
With places like Twycross and Chester Zoo asking for donations, it does make me worry about Drayton Manor who are seemingly too proud to ask for help if they need it.
EDIT: I noticed something interesting about Accelerator in the BirminghamLive article, see it here:
https://www.draytontalk.co.uk/threads/accelerator.36/page-2
