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?

::::::::

The crowd outside Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor
(Image by Carl J. Petersen)   Details   DMCA

"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 pushback.

While Disneyland is still requiring guests to use a reservation system, Magic Mountain has discontinued the practice. This is despite the fact that the park appears to be short-staffed and unable to handle the number of people that they are admitting into the park. There are long lines at food service counters even with an online ordering system in place. Many games are closed and photo opportunities with costumed characters are few and far between. Even in the early afternoon garbage cans had reached capacity and were overflowing.

With COVID having now evolved into a version that is deadlier than the original strain and transmissible at the same rate as Chickenpox, it boggles my mind that a business like Six Flags is not being more responsible. It is not that the park is putting profits over the safety of the children under 12 who are not vaccinated and visiting their park - I gave up expecting corporations to do the right thing long ago. It is the fact that they are willing to put their earnings at risk that I found to be surprising. If this latest wave of infections really takes hold, there is a high likelihood of a new round of shutdowns. Since empty parks do not generate profits, Six Flags and other businesses should be more proactive and do their part to stop the spread.

---

Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and for public education. He is an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and serves as the Education Chair. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.

Authors Website: http://www.changethelausd.com/

Authors Bio:

Carl Petersen is a parent, an advocate for students with special education needs, an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council, a member of the LAUSD's CAC, and was a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race. During the campaign, the Network for Public Education (NPE) Action endorsed him, and Dr. Diane Ravitch called him a "strong supporter of public schools." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.

Carl Petersen is a father of five, including two daughters who are on the autism spectrum. His involvement in education issues began when the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) refused to provide services that his daughters' teachers agreed they needed. It was then that his family was forced to sue the District.

At the end of two days of mediation at the District's headquarters, he turned to his wife, Nicole, and said: "somebody has to change this." His wife replied, "What about you?" He accepted the challenge and has run twice for a position on the LAUSD School Board. His platforms included advocacy for special education issues and strong support for public education. In his last election he was endorsed by Americans for Democratic Action Southern California, SFV/NELA Chapter of the National Organization for Women, and Network for Public Education (NPE) Action, a group co-founded by Dr. Diane Ravitch.

When Carl is not working or engaging in activism, he enjoys hanging out at theme parks with his family. He took his oldest daughter to Woodstock '94 when she was two and used to play in several local bands. If he is at his home in Northridge, California, there is a dog at his feet and he is probably writing one of his blogs which have been published in OpEdNews, Medium, Patch, and K-12 News Network.