NY amusement park owners beg Gov. Cuomo to allow reopening
'We cannot afford to wait any longer for guidelines'
New York's theme parks are just itching to get thrill-seekers back on their rides.
Not surprisingly, theme parks that are still closed due to the coronavirus pandemic are feeling the pain of missing an entire summer season — and a group of owners from New York recently sent the governor a letter asking for help and guidance.
In a letter sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo, a group of theme park and ride owners in New York City and Long Island explained that the hardships their businesses have faced during the shutdown. (iStock)
In a letter sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo, a group of theme park and ride owners in New York City and Long Island explained that the hardships that their businesses have faced during the shutdown, The New York Post reports. While some parks are reportedly hopeful that they can at least operate for part of the 2020 season, others have already given up on this year entirely, and hope to focus their efforts on next year.
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“We cannot afford to wait any longer for guidelines,” read the letter. “We have willingly sacrificed our own livelihoods for the betterment of New York, and we ask the state to help us navigate and plan for the future of our small family-owned businesses and employees — and give us the best chance of surviving this so we can continue to contribute positively to the New York economy and our communities.”
The letter goes on to explain that without guidelines for reopening, the parks' relationships with workers, vendors and lenders may suffer. The owners also go on to describe the investments they’ve made in adding crowd control features for the eventual reopenings.
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Cuomo, meanwhile, is already planning for a fall season impacted by COVID-19. He recently announced that outdoor farm-focused activities (which are popular across the state during autumn) will be placed in the same group as zoos, botanical gardens and outdoor attractions, NY Daily News reports. This means that these seasonal attractions will have coronavirus-related restrictions put in place.
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Corn mazes, haunted houses and farm stands will reportedly be allowed to open as well, but must operate at reduced capacity. Amusement parks, however, are still unsure of when they’ll be allowed to reopen.