Canada’s Wonderland opened its gates to the general public on July 7, 2021, for the first time in almost two years as amusement and water parks get the nod to resume operations as part of Step 2 of Ontario’s reopening plan.
The Vaughan, Ont. amusement park was closed down for the season in December 2019 and remained closed for the following 19 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the rise in vaccination rates rise and case counts decrease in Ontario, Canada’s Wonderland reopened with a 25 per cent capacity limit.
While talking about the reopening, Grace Peacock, Director of communications for Canada’s Wonderland said: “We were really happy to be included in Step 2 of the province’s reopening plan.
“We had a bit of a shortened window to work with to get the park up and ready. We have ride maintenance that we needed to do, hiring, landscaping, but as well we’re preparing for these new safety protocols so the park experience is going to be a little different.”
Those who first came to the park booked a reservation and there are signs which notified people of physical distancing rules were erected at the park. Masks were worn on most rides, in every indoor space, and in other areas where physical distancing could not be maintained.
Peacock said some of the new rules might lead to longer wait times for some of the rides.
She said: “On coasters, for example, because we have to have that physical distance, we’re not running them at full capacity as well our crews are pausing routinely to do the cleaning of the high touch surface areas on the rides.
“So those two factors may add to some longer wait times, depending on how many guests are in line.”
She added that about 3,000 seasonal staff were recalled for the reopening and the staff were happy to see guests back enjoying the park.
She said: “This has been a great week for all of us… just seeing the guests come into the park. The people that I spoke with were so thrilled to be here, to be back to doing some amusement park fun and getting out of the house.”
“We’re excited to welcome back all of our guests today for the general public.”
