SeaWorld Implements Enhanced Health and Safety Measures to Protect Guests and Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The country has navigated extensive change over the last year, since the onset of the global pandemic. As theme parks and entertainment venues begin to reopen again, organizations like SeaWorld are stepping up with crucial enhancements to health and safety. The team at SeaWorld has been responding to this unprecedented health crisis by developing new safety protocols in consultation with public health experts. 

These extensive and proactive protocols are designed to allow SeaWorld to remain open while maintaining social distancing and other health guidelines. That’s key to providing memorable experiences while keeping guests safe.

SeaWorld Park Enhancements for the Safety of Guests and Employees

SeaWorld’s unwavering pledge to maintain health and safety begins with all employees and guests being scanned for their temperature prior to entrance, which CDC guidelines say should be less than 100.4 degrees F. 

SeaWorld employees and guests ages 2 and up must wear face coverings at all times when in the park, except when they are eating or drinking. There are also some designated relaxation areas marked in SeaWorld where guests can remove their face coverings safely.

As per the CDC guidelines, SeaWorld supports and promotes proper physical distancing throughout the park. To that end, they’ve installed new signage, along with markings on the ground, to indicate 6-foot spacing. The organization has even adjusted the spacing of lounge chairs for safer relaxation.

Guests are encouraged to pay with contactless methods, such as using a smartphone. SeaWorld has placed Plexiglass barriers at high-traffic and close-contact areas to further safeguard employees and guests.

As a responsible employer committed to promoting health and wellness, SeaWorld requires workers to stay home when they feel sick. This involves following the CDC’s latest guidelines on how people should isolate themselves if unwell or have been exposed to someone who is ill and being symptom-free themselves before returning to work.

Throughout the park, SeaWorld employees continuously implement cleaning protocols at arrival areas and at all high-contact surfaces. Turnstiles are touchless, and the line spacing has been boosted to help all guests maintain the right level of social distancing.

In the on-site restaurants, workers are sanitizing chairs and tables more frequently. The layouts have been adjusted to seat fewer people, so social distancing is possible. Utensils are pre-packaged, and guests are given single-use cup options. Guests can also opt for convenient, grab-and-go packaged food options instead of eating inside the restaurants.

Guests can also expect the same level of social distancing protection to be in effect in SeaWorld’s retail shops, as well as at all open animal-viewing spaces. SeaWorld has installed many new hand sanitizer stations, and single-flow direction markers to keep foot traffic more orderly and less crowded.

SeaWorld’s enhanced commitment to safeguarding its animals, employees, and guests during the pandemic is at the heart of the decision-making process of the Management Team throughout the pandemic. The Management Team is led by Scott Ross, Founder and Managing Partner at Hill Path Capital and SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Marc Swanson, Interim CEO of SeaWorld.

Their safety-focused decisions have allowed the park to remain open to visitors during the winter months. It’s a testament to the commitment of SeaWorld to provide the highest standards of safety.