The next phase of business reopenings in Connecticut following the outbreak of coronavirus will put a strong emphasis on entertainment and tourism just in time for the beginning of summer.
Targeted for June 20, the reopening plan includes movie theaters, bowling alleys, outdoor amusement parks, and indoor museums, in addition to several other facilities.
Basic guidelines will encourage social distancing, face coverings and continuing to encourage those aged 65 and older, in addition to high-risk individuals, to remain at home if possible. But while the state has yet to issue specific guidelines for specific types of businesses and industries, many of them are already preparing.
“We’ll be looking at the metrics, we’ll be looking at where we are over the next few weeks,” Gov. Ned Lamont said earlier this month. “And that will be really important as we give you guidance a couple weeks before June 20 and beyond.”
The summer season will have a significantly different feel in Connecticut, however. Far fewer summer movie blockbusters are expected in theaters, museums and aquariums around the state are expected to be experienced with some distance, and owners of entertainment facilities have their own concerns about attendance.
George Frantzis, who co-owns Quassy Amusement and Waterpark in Middlebury, estimated the amusement park has lost two-thirds of its business for the year. The park remained closed in March, and with schools shut down and many summer camps canceled, the usually busy late spring and early summer season has left the amusement park struggling.
“The first few weeks that we were supposed to be open, and it was absolutely beautiful out. It was an emotional disaster,” Frantzis said. “It was so difficult out here knowing we should be open, and this place should be bustling with kids laughing and having a good time. It was surreal.”
Quassy plans to reopen on June 20, and along with Lake Compounce, a Bristol-based amusement park, and the International and New England Amusement Park Associations, developed a reopening plan all parties believe meet each state guideline for phase two.
All guests and employees will be required to wear masks, and those who feel ill – including employees – will be asked to stay home. Social distancing will be promoted frequently, with signs and ground markers throughout the establishment, and roller coaster rides will be adjusted to adhere to social distancing, with seats or rows left empty between riders. Rides and high-touch areas will be sanitized throughout the day, as well as before and after the park closes. Areas like the indoor arcade, or the water bucket where people gather underneath, will be temporarily shut down.
The park will limit its maximum capacity to no more than 50 percent of its usual, and all food will be served outdoors as opposed to its indoor eateries.
With the early season losses and the uncertainty of business even once it opens, the park will be financially hamstrung through 2020, with spillover effects likely lasting into next year. The June 20 reopening, he says, is a step in the right direction.
“I couldn’t even imagine walking through this park in mid-July and August and seeing an empty parking lot,” Frantzis said.
The Connecticut Science Center, which closed in March, is among the indoor museums in the state planning to reopen on June 20. President and CEO Matt Fleury cited a “fairly serious financial hit,” since closing, and was forced to furlough employees. The museum received an SBA loan that allows it to ramp up staffing to prepare for the reopening, which it has already done. He believes in total, the museum will return close to two dozen employees as the reopening date approaches.
Fleury said that because the museum’s year-round focus involves educating the public on the need to keep science in mind, they’ll be taking social distancing and safety even more serious upon reopening.
“Our mission is to promote science awareness and science engagement,” said Fleury. “This is a critical moment for our mission to inspire our society to embrace and act on science. So we feel deeply moved to advance our core science mission … we look forward to doing that again in a safe way.”
Even before its closure, the museum was keeping an eye on sanitation and social distancing as the threat of COVID-19 began to ramp up. When the museum reopens, it will have mapped out spacing for the facility, as well as a 50 percent maximum capacity cap. Everyone will be required to wear protective gear, and vigorous cleaning protocols in what Fleury described as a “hands on environment.”
The museum will sell time-limited tickets to help pulse guests through, and keep safe capacity at any given time.
“This allows us to open in a way that not only meets [state] standards, but also meets Connecticut Science Center’s very high standards for safety,” said Fleury. “But it’s also going to increase expenses at a time that revenue is significantly depleted.”
Bowling alleys throughout the state have also taken a financial hit, according to Marcel Lessard, who owns Lessard Lanes in Plainville. The venue also includes an indoor miniature golf course.
Lessard plans to reopen July 1 and noted barbershops and salons received late notice about rescheduling their reopening and Lessard was wary of having to reschedule leagues and events.
Lessard said he has strict plans for when his business does reopen, including necessary personal protection equipment for customers and staff, the addition of sneeze guards for customer service areas and barriers in between lanes to help create space between parties.
Lessard is working to make the entry process as touch free as possible, including an online sign-up system that would allow guests to provide names to be pre-loaded into the scoring system, as well as a way to have bowling shoes picked out in advance and ready to wear at assigned lanes. Bowling balls, shoes and lanes will be sanitized in between rounds, and the facilities indoor mini golf course will still be up and running, with parties spaced a few holes apart to help promote social distancing.
Lessard also estimated his business has the largest senior bowling base of any center in the state, with a league of 450 plus people. The bowling center will have limited hours to begin, likely opening at noon as opposed to 9:30 or 10 a.m., and on Tuesday’s through Friday’s the center will open at 10 a.m. for seniors and those at higher risk of getting the virus only, which would allow them to bowl in a safer setting that has been cleaned the night and morning before.
“They’re walking into an untouched bowling center,” Lessard said. “They’ll be able to enjoy some exercise and some fun bowling without having to interact with our every day customers.”
Shawn McFarland can be reached at smcfarland@courant.com.
