How theme park rides will change post-coronavirus with new plexiglass screens between each rider

THEME parks will look very different to guests when they return with new changes and safety precautions being introduced. A new design could see rollercoasters having glass screens between every rider. Zamperla, a ride designer who has created a number of attractions across Europe, has developed the new designs to ensure passengers can continue social […]

THEME parks will look very different to guests when they return with new changes and safety precautions being introduced.

A new design could see rollercoasters having glass screens between every rider.

Zamperla

Rides at theme parks could soon have plexiglass screens on every carriage to prevent coronavirus[/caption]

Zamperla, a ride designer who has created a number of attractions across Europe, has developed the new designs to ensure passengers can continue social distancing while enjoying theme parks.

The plexiglass screen would be on the back of each seat, so each rider would have the clear barrier in front of their hands.

They would help to reduce the spread of germs by blocking the droplets from people speaking, sneezing or coughing.

With them being easily installed, rides could easily add them ahead of their reopening dates next month.

While parks are yet to confirm if they would be installed, many of Zamperla’s rides can be found across the UK, including Kobra at Chessington World of Adventures and Octonauts rollercoaster at Alton Towers.

Zamperla

The new design hopes to make theme parks safer for guests to return this year[/caption]

Alamy

The screens are easy to install on most rides and reduce the spread of droplets between passengers[/caption]

The ride designer explained in a statement: “In our continuous effort to innovate and find the most effective solutions applied to rides, Zamperla has conceived a plexiglass safety barrier that guarantees social distancing to Parks visitors, even when they’re riding our amusement rides, thus giving them the opportunity to enjoy the Park visit without any concern.

“We are confident that this solution could be helpful for our customers to restart their business as soon as possible and to provide to visitors all the safety measures they can.”

Parks are looking at other ways to keep guests safe such as leaving empty rows on rides between families and additional cleaning procedures.

Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland all hope to open from July 4.

Alton Towers has reopened their outdoor gardens but is yet to confirm when the park will reopen.

Theme parks in the US are already opening with limited capacity, such as Universal Orlando.

The Disney parks hope to open next month as well.

We went inside Universal Orlando to see what it is like post-coronavirus and found shorter queues, mandatory face masks and a lot of strange new changes.