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Elitch Gardens Opens To Season Pass Holders, Prepares To Open To The General Public In A Week

DENVER (CBS4) - Elitch Gardens opened to guests for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday. Season passholders were permitted to go through the turnstiles and get on their favorite rides. Inside, they found lots of noticeable changes to the amusement park.

elitch gardens
(credit: CBS)

"We have social distancing measures and queue lines on rides and you will see 6 feet markers on the rails as opposed to on the ground in most places," said Jolie Dubois, marketing communications manager for the park.

The rides are sprayed and wiped down after every cycle. Masks are mandatory, and a maximum of 3,200 guests are allowed in the park at a time.

elitch gardens
(credit: CBS)

"It feels great. We've been in the house so long. The weather feels great. There is a nice day for it and it's just a lot of fun," said Dominic Sanchez.

The capacity is currently about 18% of normal.

"We have a technology system at the front that scans tickets and season passes that keep track of how many people are here. And we have a scanner on the way out that keeps track of the guests that are exiting. So we constantly have a number at the park and how many people are here all day," Dubois said.

The hope is that the capacity limit will continue to be eased in upcoming months, allowing more people to enjoy a day of fun at the park.

"I kind of hope that this kind of brings smiles back to people's faces. And the excitement of summer," Dubois said.

The grand opening for Eliches Gardens will be next Saturday for the general public and you have until May 23 to reserve your ticket. Also, they are hiring for jobs as well. You have to be 16 and older and jobs are starting at $14.77 an hour. They need over 1,000 people to work at Elitch Gardens.

 

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