KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Central Florida’s newest water park, Island H2O Live!, announced that their water park would reopen on select days starting Saturday.
The Park submitted a reopening plan to the State of Florida that includes a proposed date for resuming operations and proposed guidelines to ensure guest and staff safety.
The plans were endorsed by the Osceola County Administrator, officials said.
“We are excited to reopen and provide an entertaining break from the day-to-day world,” states Island H2O Water Park General Manager Jim Kunau. “We look forward to providing wonderful memories for our guests and their families. Our entire team has been working hard to prepare the park and welcome our guests back.”
According to a news release, the park is raising their already demanding standards to an even higher level with new protocols and procedures.
“The health, safety, and well-being of every guest and team member is our utmost priority,” states Kunau. “To ensure the safest experience for everyone, we also need our guests to help by adhering to social distancing practices, washing and sanitizing hands frequently, and following safety guidelines provided by our trained staff.”
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point out that there is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread through water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas.
"Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should inactivate the virus in the water," the website said.
“We have chlorination in process and we also run our water through a UV filter so all water is purposely set through ultraviolet light in order to help kill anything in the water,” director or marketing Chris Ozimek said.
Island H2O Water Park is implementing its new “Safe-Splash Guidelines” to help ensure the park operates safely, responsibly and sustainably.
“We’re in the business to make people happy,” Ozimek said. “We feel we found a safe way to do that and put some smiles on faces again.”
According to a news release, Island H2O Water Park will:
Manage Park Capacity: The number of guests admitted each day is limited. Guests who arrive after park capacity is reached are not guaranteed admittance to the park and may be asked to wait or visit on a different day.
Implement Daily Wellness Checks: Team members and guests undergo a verbal screening upon arrival each day. Team members also receive a temperature check and are sent home if their temperature exceeds 100.4 °F.
Require Face Masks: Team members are required to wear a face-covering in virtually every area of the park. Between rides and attractions, guests are recommended to wear face coverings. Due to safety constraints, face coverings are not permitted while in the water or on slides.
Practice Social Distancing: Signs and ground markers are provided to assist guests with social distancing practices while in line at the park entrance, attractions, restrooms, food service locations and more. Deck layouts are modified to ensure distancing in all lounging and dining areas.
Promote Hand Hygiene & Respiratory Etiquette: Additional hand sanitizing stations are placed throughout the park, and signs are displayed to encourage all employees and guests to wash their hands often and cover their coughs and sneezes.
Clean, Disinfect and Sanitize on a Continuous Basis: The CDC states, “disinfection with chlorine…should inactivate the virus in the water.” The water in all attractions at Island H2O Water Park is double treated with chlorination and ultraviolet light to maintain the healthiest water conditions. All water that circulates through the water park is exposed to UV light in the filtration process. UV light works by disrupting the DNA or RNA of specific organisms, such as viruses, which in turn, kills or inactivates the virus completely. Team members are assigned additional duties that support cleanliness throughout the park, including the disinfection of handrails, loungers, tabletops, tubes, mats, door handles, and other surfaces.
Encourage Electronic Payments: Guests are encouraged to purchase admission tickets online prior to arriving at the park to minimize interactions during the park entry experience. Guests are also encouraged to use cashless payment methods while visiting.
Manage Use of Indoor Areas & Communal Spaces: Homeland Security’s biodefense research laboratory states, “sunlight seems to be very detrimental to the virus,” and “within minutes, the majority of the virus is inactivated on surfaces and in the air in direct sunlight.” Our guests spend their entire day outdoors in the sunshine or in shaded areas, except for restroom buildings and other minor service areas which are disinfected regularly throughout the day.
Provide a COVID-19 Response Team: A team of supervisors and managers is available to respond to COVID-19 concerns from guests or employees. The team trains staff on all safety protocols and ensures that they are socially distanced during meetings and training.
“We know the finances of several of our guests have been impacted, so we are extending a special discount on our season passes this summer,” commented Kunau. “A 2020 Season Pass is currently available for just $10 more than a one-day admission ticket, and guests can even split their purchase into 2-monthly payments when they buy online by May 31.”
For more information on Island H2O’s new safety measures visit www.islandh2olive.com.