First California amusement park schedules 2021 reopening after pandemic closure

California’s Great America in the San Francisco Bay Area has announced a May 22 reopening date after closing its gates for all of 2020.

It’s the first amusement park in California to officially schedule a reopening date. Disneyland Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott’s Berry Farm, among others, remain closed, according to the Orange County Register.

State guidelines to curb the spread of coronavirus have kept California amusement parks closed for months. Hopes of reopening over the summer were dashed by a fresh wave of outbreaks.

California’s Great America, owned by Cedar Fair, covers 112 acres in Santa Clara, just north of San Jose. It opened in 1976 as Marriott’s Great America.

“We continue to monitor state guidelines and work with industry and government officials to ensure our reopening plan meets all required health and safety regulations,” a notice on the California’s Great America site reads.

The park will reopen with limited capacity to ensure social-distancing and will require guests to wear cloth face masks, according to the site. Visitors also will have to use credit cards or other contactless payment methods in the park.

Guests will have to pass through a thermal screening tent to enter the park, and will be turned away if they have a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

Some rides and attractions not suitable for social distancing will remain closed, and some tables have been removed from dining areas to promote social distancing, the park says.

More than 102 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide with more than 2.2 million deaths as of Jan. 31, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 26 million confirmed cases with more than 439,000 deaths.

This story was originally published January 31, 2021 at 8:42 AM.