IAAPA Asia Pacific COVID-19 Best Practices

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IAAPA Asia Pacific COVID-19 Best Practices: Operational Considerations for Reopening an Attraction Version 1.0 – April 23, 2020 Contributors: We thank the following IAAPA members for their contributions to this resource: Pradeep Sharma, White Water West; Douglas Akers, Theme Park Professional; Shaun McKeogh, Attractions Academy; Daan Duijm, Sun World Holding; Cecelia Choye, Wild Wild Wet, Singapore; Frankie Hau, Ocean Park Hong Kong; Alan Kwok, Theme Park Professional Disclaimers: The views expressed in this document are those of the contributors and not, necessarily, of IAAPA. With regard to any information presented by a contributor here, IAAPA does not make any warranty, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and specifically disclaims any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, service, or process presented, and makes no representation that its use would not infringe upon privately owned rights. Furthermore, the presentation of any material or information by the contributors regarding any specific opinion, commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply IAAPA’s endorsement or recommendation of such opinion, process, service, item, or organization. Any such material or information presented by the contributors here, without limitation, is for informational purposes only.

OVERVIEW

Attraction operators from the Asia-Pacific region have created a list of initiatives to consider during the varying stages of reopening and operating an attraction in light of the impact of COVID-19. Depending on your country, local health restrictions, and regional requirements, some of these initiatives may be appropriate to implement for your attraction depending on the severity of your needs. Over time and as your regional health requirements dictate, some of the operational interventions may be able to be relaxed.

GENERAL HEALTH & SAFETY

Attraction operators will be expected to implement effective and strong measures to control attendance and perceptions at their attractions.

• Put in place measures to control the number of guests arriving at different periods in a day, rather than, for example, all guests arriving in the morning at opening time. These measures are in addition to controlling attendance for the full day.

• Enact requirements as requested by your regional health requirements, such as requiring all guests to wear masks while visiting the facility.

• Create touch-free payment options and possibly encourage customers to use contactless payment options.

• Encourage guests to make online purchases of tickets and at the same time invite guests to complete a self-declaration form, declaring that all guests who intend to visit the park are free from infection.

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• Develop procedures around checking for high temperature and responding to high-temperature cases during operations for both employees and guests.

• Develop an isolation/quarantine area while assessment of high temperature is completed.

• Review your current First Aid support and availability and use of PPE in your attraction. • Provide access to hand hygiene stations on entry, exit, and strategically throughout the

attraction. • Deep clean areas where an employee who has been exposed to COVID-19, at the

workplace or in the attraction, has been. • Notify employees and guests (as able) if they were in close proximity of an infected

person. • Develop measures to control social distancing in queues, show areas, and throughout

attractions.

ADMISSION OPERATIONS

● Depend on Tencent and Alibaba Health Status APP for clearance to enter facility in China. Other countries should also develop similar clearance requirements.

● Add additional screening of guests at entrance areas for temperature checks.

● Reduce number of guests per day to X% of actual park capacity. Your regional health requirements may dictate this, but possibly between 30-50% of regular park capacity is predicated. Controlled, dated ticket products are a way to regulate this.

● Consider contact tracing QR code registration of all guests visiting on a given day. ● Build confidence among guests by prominently displaying signs that all employees are

screened daily and they are free from COVID-19. ● Consider additional barriers to reduce contamination between guest and employees.

©Photo by Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park

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● Practice social distancing at queue lines at the entrance, ticketing kiosks, lockers, and bag checks by putting markers on the floor.

FOOD & BEVERAGE (F&B) OPERATIONS

● Delineate closed sections/tables or removal of tables to support social distancing. ● Implement mobile food ordering in attractions to avoid queuing in F&B locations. ● Consider transparent sanitary face shields for all food handlers. ● Create floor markings that provide minimum guide distances between customers

queuing for service and using physical barriers where possible.

● Add health message stickers such as reminders to wash hands. These can be placed on tables, food packing, etc.

RETAIL/MERCHANDISING OPERATIONS

● Sell licensed hand sanitizer, licensed masks, or other safety items for guests. ● Educate customers with appropriate signage to only touch what they intend to purchase.

©Photo by Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park

©Photo by Wild Wild Wet, Singapore

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● Consider creating floor markings that provide minimum guide distances between customers queuing for service and using physical barriers where possible.

MEDIC / FIRST AID

● Set up a containment area for guests with potential symptoms or guests who are inside the park when they are suspected of having COVID-19. Set up an isolation area back of house to house staff members who had close contact with the suspected infected guest. This “isolated area” should be a venue detached from other any park facilities, i.e. independent air conditioner/ventilation system, for staff members who had close contact with a suspected infected guest to dispose his/her uniform and to wait for the primary medical results of the guest.

● Provide protective goggles, gown, and gloves for the First Aid team who needs to handle the guest in a close manner.

● Reconfigure beds in First Aid rooms with at least 2 meters between each bed.

RIDE & ATTRACTION OPERATIONS

● Resume operations for open-air or outdoor attractions only first. (Indoor queues and rides would remain closed during initial opening periods.)

● Consider reduction of guests per ride vehicle to ensure social distancing.

©Photo by Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park

©Photo by Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park

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● Ensure increased frequency of ride vehicle cleaning and areas that have guest contact (handrails, harnesses, tables, etc.).

● Provide employees with cleaning agents and train them to clean down and disinfect touch points at appropriate intervals.

● Consider redesigning the queue area, to maintain safe distance in front and behind of individual guests as well as sideways. Modify queue railings to use alternate queue lines, which can be returned to normal when the situation recovers.

● Use visual markers (tape, stickers, etc.) that enforce the 1/1.5m spacing in the queues.

○ For water parks, this could be explained by leaving X steps empty between guests on slide towers. Also consider reducing capacity inside family rafts and avoid putting unrelated families or groups together.

©Photo by Wild Wild Wet, Singapore

©Photo by Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park ©Photo by Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park

©Photo by Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park

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● Determine whether indoor theatres require reduced capacity or social distancing

between seats during initial stages of opening. ● Consider reintroducing attractions that use VR headsets, 3D glasses, helmets, and other

elements that require additional cleaning at a later stage. HOUSEKEEPING/JANITORIAL OPERATIONS

● Vet chemicals for immediate impact on the coronavirus. ● Increase frequency of cleaning common areas and high-contact touchpoints such as

POS equipment, elevator buttons, handrails, tables, counter tops, doorknobs, sinks, queue rails, harnesses, etc.

● Review education and training of housekeeping employees and consider if content and curriculum meets current needs.

● Deep clean areas where an employee who has been exposed to COVID-19 at the workplace or in the attraction has been.

● Track the movement of guests who have been identified as suspected to have COVID-19. If possible, security can review CCTV footage to trace the movement of the guests and arrange follow-up cleaning/disinfection.

● Consider appropriate posters in handwashing areas detailing good handwashing practices.

FACILITY OPERATIONS/MAINTENANCE/TECHNICAL SERVICES OPERATIONS

● Consider reducing the number of touchpoints for workers. For example, leave access doors open where appropriate.

● Review air-conditioning types and consider limiting or reducing recirculated air-conditioning in common areas for attractions and back-of-house areas.

ENTERTAINMENT OPERATIONS

● Review procedures for close contact meet-and-greet opportunities. ● Review procedures and policies for washing costumes, wigs, props, and other shared

items.

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

● Consider the ticketing policy and communication strategy for notifying the public that the destination has reached capacity.

● Use proactive messaging to guests prior to arrival and on arrival of methods being deployed for employee and guest safety (i.e. wearing masks, body temperature checks, entry refusal for those with multiple symptoms including fever and upper respiratory infection etc. or without wearing mask.)

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● Consider the fact that chlorine is used as a disinfectant in water parks, so it is relatively safe as a USP for communication.

● Launch marketing campaigns on the actions put in place to show the guest safety measures being taken.

● Communicate confidence in operational management: you are ready to make their day the best ever!

PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT

● Ensure appropriate supply to meet increased need for PPE and cleaning supplies. ● Use, and ask delivery and contractors to use, electronic paperwork where possible, to

minimize physical interaction. Where possible, set up alternatives to requiring signatures.

● Consider implementing a pre-planned delivery schedule to enable tracing and avoiding cross contamination of different vendors and employees.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

● Conduct temperature checks at start of shift and possibly mid-shift. ● Maintain Team A and Team B structure to keep employees separate on different

working days in the event of a positive case ● Provide relievers to allow for more frequent breaks for handwashing and cleaning to

maintain improved hygiene. ● Require employees to wear PPE and masks when taking care of guests. ● Ensure enough PPE depending on location the employee is working (i.e. guest temp

screening area may require more PPE). ● Review current sick policies and update. Include the following guidance: Stay home if

you are sick and seek medical advice if you have a fever, cough, sore throat, or shortness of breath.

● Develop pre-opening training for employees and refresher courses to reinforce social distancing, hygiene, and proper handling of unsafe or emergency situations.

● Create a “Hygiene Induction Unit” for all employees returning to work including COVID-19 considerations.

● Consider reducing number of employees in one room in company-provided employee accommodation.

● Consider providing laundry services and meal delivery to employees in company accommodation instead of buffet styles.

● Review procedures and policies for washing shared uniforms, props, and miscellaneous items.

● Communicate control measures clearly with employees. Provide clear direction and guidance about what is expected of employees. They should know:

○ when to stay away from the workplace ○ what action to take if they become unwell ○ what symptoms to be concerned about

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● Remind employees they have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect the health and safety of others.

● Provide employees with a point of contact to discuss their concerns, and access to support services, including employee assistance programs.

● Think about how your existing policies and procedures apply when working from home, including:

○ notification of incidents, injuries, hazards, and changes in circumstances ○ consultation and review of work health and safety processes ○ attendance, timesheets, leave and other entitlements and arrangements.

● If an employee is infected with COVID-19, consider SOP for how to evacuate and close the park.

● Take care of the sick employee and ensure the response procedure is partnered with the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) for response.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES SHOULD A GUEST BE SUSPECTED OF EXHIBITING COVID-19 SYMPTOMS

1. A frontline employee may encounter a guest with different COVID-19 symptoms during their duties. Whilst handling the guest, he/she should inform the Control Center without delay, which will summon First Aid/security to manage the guest.

2. Once the symptoms of the guest are declared as a suspected case of COVID-19, the employee who handled the guest in a close manner should be accommodated separately in an isolated area for disinfection (e.g. disposal of uniform) and to await the initial medical diagnosis of the guest. This isolated area is a venue detached from other any park facilities (i.e. does not share air conditioner/ventilation system with other parts of the attraction.)

3. Review CCTV footage to trace movement of the guest throughout the attraction and arrange follow-up cleaning/disinfection works.