MASON — After a months-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kings Island will open for the 2020 season Thursday to season pass holders with reservations.
“As a lot of businesses, we have to wait our turn, and we’ve been patient,” said Kings Island Vice President & General Manager Mike Koontz Thursday.
The park’s opening for its 49th season comes with it a wide range of social distancing and safety measures aimed at protecting visitors and staff from coronavirus transmission.
Visitors will be required to submit a health questionnaire online in the 24 hours leading up to their visit, and then answer a series of three questions on site, coupled with a temperature check.
The line to get into Kings Island will keep visitors six feet apart with the aid of markings on the ground.
Once inside the park, visitors will be required to wear masks except while eating, drinking, or visiting specified “Relax Zones” where masks can be removed for a break, while maintaining social distances.
The park has moved away from printed out maps, instead opting for large billboard-style maps with scan codes that allow visitors to instantly pull up park maps on their smartphone.
More than six hundred sanitizing stations allow for frequent hand-cleaning, and one way entrances and exits of buildings aim to cut down on clusters of people.
Food areas have staff separated from visitors by shields, and visitors wait in lines with markings prompting them to stand six feet apart.
And on the attractions, staff occasionally stop rides to spray and wipe down surfaces.
“Our associates have been trained repeatedly on all the protocols we have in place,” Koontz said.
Kings Island will be open to season pass holders from July 2-11 before opening to the public.