Coronavirus NY: Indoor amusement parks, entertainment centers allowed to reopen Friday

Coronavirus Update for New York

Friday, March 26, 2021

NY indoor amusement parks, entertainment centers allowed to reopen

Indoor amusement parks across New York are opening their doors just in time for spring and summer as the state continues to ease coronavirus restrictions.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Indoor amusement parks across New York are opening their doors just in time for spring and summer as the state continues to ease coronavirus restrictions.

As of Friday, indoor family entertainment centers and recreational parks are allowed to reopen at 25% capacity.

Face coverings, social distancing, temperature checks, frequent cleaning and disinfections will be enforced.

"We're really pumped to get back in business serving the community, getting kids out and active and playing safely," Urban Air Adventure Park in Lake Grove co-owner Keith Handler said.

Handler said the facility can accommodate 250 people at 25% capacity and they'll be monitoring it closely.

They'll be using a clicker to count each person who walks through the door, so Handler encourages people to book their tickets in advance online.

Urban Air co-owner David Wolmetz said the staff will be doing temperature checks at the front door and will be following a strict sanitizing policy as well.

"We have a cleaning regiment, every hour on the half hour," he said.

At Monster Mini Golf in Deer Park, they reopened the arcade side of the building on Friday. The mini golf portion has been open since the summer.

"We're happy for our kids, for our staff, for our customers. Everybody's just really excited to get back in," owner John Arlo said.

Arlo said staff members will be cleaning the arcade equipment around the clock.

Not all indoor entertainment centers on Long Island survived the pandemic.

Pump It Up in Plainview, for example, closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, according to a message on the company's website.

"It has been our honor to serve our NY Community and deliver the thousands of smiles throughout the years," the message said.

BounceU in Farmingdale also closed permanently, as did indoor party venue KZAM in Farmingdale.

"Even when we eventually would be able to open to the public again, the restrictions on social distancing we would have to follow will not be able to cover the overhead of the business," said a message on the KZAM website.

KZAM had been in business for the past nine years, according to the website.

"Riders attractions that cannot be social distanced or cleaned must remain closed," Governor Andrew Cuomo said when he made the announcement in February.

In addition to the above guidelines, all indoor family and entertainment centers and places of amusement must also:

--Collect contact information from each party to inform contact tracing, if needed

--Frequently clean high-touch areas, attractions, and rides

--Close attractions if distancing and cleaning are no possible

--Deploy sufficient staff to enforce compliance with rules, including capacity, distancing and face coverings

--Sell tickets in advance, and entry/exit and waiting times should be staggered to avoid congestion

--Have enhanced air filtration, ventilation and purification standards for indoor areas

--Abide by state-issued guidance for all retail, food services and recreational activities

"In New York, we base our decisions on the science and data and adjust as the virus adjusts," Cuomo said in February. "With continued decreases in the infection and hospitalization rates, we have been able to take steps toward beginning our post-COVID recovery, and we are excited to now be in a place where we can bring back our recreational industries with safety protocols in place. As we've said time and time again, our success will be dictated by our actions, and as long as we stay united and keep carrying this momentum forward in a positive direction, we will be able to see more and more sectors of our economy reopen."