DARIEN CENTER, N.Y. — Six Flags Darien Lake did a media tour Friday afternoon and told us all about the new rules in place because of COVID-19.
As far as masks go, if you are fully vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask.
If you are not vaccinated, or aren't fully vaccinated yet, it's recommended that you still wear a mask. The park is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
They will also take your temperature before you go into the park, and they will have hand-washing stations through the park. You also have to keep socially distant in lines, so they'll have markers on the ground showing you where to stand.
This all starts when Darien Lake opens for the season.
"We've implemented several new safety techniques at Six Flags Darien Lake this season. The first is reservations made online so we know who's coming and we can control capacity. And then once guests arrive, they'll go through a contactless temperature screen, and metal screening for safety purposes," says Chris Kearsing, the director of administration and safety at Six Flags Darien Lake.
They said that's all to keep the line moving as people get to the park.
"It's a continually moving line, and thermal cameras will capture the temperatures, and then they'll go right through metal detection, and right through our front gate," Kearsing said.
Your ticket will be sent to your phone, and you'll be able to scan it at the front gate, or you can print your ticket at home.
"The first message I would say to people is, in my opinion, the vaccination works, get vaccinated so you don't have to worry about it. Just get vaccinated. Get the full set and get vaccinated. If you're not vaccinated, we're gonna ask you to follow our protocols. You can see the separation stickers are still on the ground, our sanitizing stations are everywhere. We're taking your temperature when you come in, so everything's remaining in play. I would just encourage people get vaccinated, and if you're not going to get vaccinated, wear your mask," says Mark Kane, Six Flags Darien Lake president.
They opened for season pass holders last weekend, and the park is following the same COVID-19 protocols all of the company's other parks have followed, so they're expecting things to run smoothly this weekend.