A group of leaders representing some of San Diego's theme park and attractions met with county health officials Wednesday to discuss their informal plan to reopen some beloved destinations once the state allows.
The San Diego Attraction Coalition, made up of representatives from SeaWorld San Diego, Legoland California Resort and The USS Midway Museum, detailed to the county the ways in which the attractions could safely reopen to the public.
Both the county and the coalition said the meeting was productive.
The attractions would be ready to reopen on July 1, the coalition said, but the authority to reopen attractions lies with the state of California. The coalition said its "re-opening safety plan" would next be sent to state officials for guidance.
According to the Orange County Register, a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health confirmed theme parks like Disneyland would fall under Stage 3 of the state's Resiliency Roadmap due to their higher risk. The state is currently in Stage 2 and no date has been set for moving into Stage 3.
While the coalition did not share specifics on protocols that may have been discussed during their teleconference with county officials, earlier this month, the San Diego Tourism Authority posted some possibilities online. They included temperature screenings for employees, masks for both employees and guests, seating policy changes to keep people spread apart, and extra sanitation and disinfecting procedures.
The three popular San Diego attractions have been closed since mid-March, when Gov. Gavin Newsom restricted gatherings of more than 250 people across the state. In the following weeks, further restrictions were implemented until gatherings of any size were prohibited to limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
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The San Diego Zoo also closed at that time. The organization was not a part of Wednesday's meeting. NBC 7 reached out to the zoo for comment but has not yet heard back.
On Wednesday, an Orlando task force approved proposals from Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando to reopen the theme parks in a tiered approach, with limited capacity, as early as June 11. The proposals must next go to the Florida Governor's Office for final approval.
Both parks said they will require guests and employees to wear face coverings and social distancing will be enforced throughout their properties. Guests and employees will also undergo temperature checks before entering the parks.
