The Crisis Continues
COVID Roulette
Six Flags Magic Mountain has a lot to lose if the country is forced back into lockdowns. Why aren’t they doing more to prevent this?
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“The measures we need to get this under control — they’re extreme. The measures you need are extreme.”
- CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky
With COVID-19 infection rates in Los Angeles County once again spiking, it is clear that the pandemic is still not over. I was, therefore, shocked as I passed through the metal detectors into the plaza outside Six Flags Magic Mountain’s entry gates last Sunday. In front of me stood hundreds of people packed tightly together with park security pushing even more people into the confined space. Many were ignoring the CDC suggestion to wear a mask in large crowds.
As the crowd continued to build, Six Flags management did nothing to mitigate the hazard caused by their operations. Instead of keeping newcomers in the wide-open area outside their ticket booths, the park continued to push them through security and into the mass of people. The gates to neighboring Hurricane Harbor stayed shut until opening time depriving the crowd of a release valve. When they finally did open, people pressed tightly into the narrow pathway leading to the entrance.
To avoid the worst of the crowd, my family jettisoned our original plans to visit the waterpark and headed into Magic Mountain. Once inside, the mass of people dissipated, but Six Flags was still failing at maintaining a safe operation in the midst of a pandemic. The “Do The Six” signage urging safe practices has disappeared. Instead, those signs can be spotted backstage along with unused hand sanitizing stations. There is messaging outside each bathroom, shop, and food stand that indicates that mask usage is required indoors according to new Los Angeles County regulations, but I did not observe any enforcement. Maskless guests were able to enter buildings and place their orders without any…
