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Due to the pandemic, people around the world have spent months in lockdown and isolations. Now as the restrictions are being eased up, more and more people are coming out to engage themselves in fun activities.
In Kerala, amusement parks are attracting large numbers of visitors as they have been allowed to operate under limited capacity.
Since I live very close to Wonderla, an amusement park in Kochi, I decided to visit the park and talk to the people.
This is our first visit since the COVID lockdown was lifted. We had planned this trip for earlier last week, but as Wonderla is open from Thursday to Sunday, we had to reschedule it. My entire family is here. We are enjoying this very much!Prince, Visitor
Many of these visitors were visiting the park for their much-needed break after the months of isolation and lockdown. For many it was a get-together with family and friends.
From 1 November, Monday, the park is now open for all days of the week. Earlier, it was operational for only four days a week.
COVID Protocols Being Followed or Not?
On 30 October, out of 446 COVID-19 deaths in India, 358 people were from Kerala. I was curious to see so many people at the park so, I asked them about the safety precautions being followed at the park.
We checked if adequate safety precautions were taken at Wonderla. We were quite convinced after that. The kids have not had it easy for the past 1 year. Neither have we. There were very few avenues for fun. We are glad that Wonderla has finally reopened. We hope to visit again.Jasni Isham, Visitor
We've been informed about the COVID precautions here. I think that's being done very diligently—the rides, even water rides, are sanitised properly. So there's no reason to be scared.Jincy, visitor
Not just people from Kerala but neighbouring states also came to visit the family.
We have come from Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. We are having a lot of fun here at Wonderla. There's a big crowd here. We didn't expect this many (given the COVID situation).Vistor, Tamil Nadu
As park resumes it services in restricted capacity, Wonderla management hopes to crawl back to normalcy as adventure tourism was amongst the worst hit sectors.
As you know, we are in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The amusement park industry too was severely hit. We closed last March 2020. Though we opened for a brief period earlier this year, we had to close again in March on account of the devastating second wave of COVID. The response from the guests has been very positive. For many who've been confined to their homes, coming to Wonderla was a big positive experience.Ravi Kumar, Park Head at Wonderla
Considering experts have warned of a third wave and kerala is reporting the most number of COVID cases in the country, is this a good move?
After months of lockdown and isolation, it is true that there is demand for fun activities due to pent-up tension. COVID is not over yet. So a question lingers - is this water theme park visit a frivolous attempt, one likely to further compound the COVID crisis in Kerala, or could this be viewed as a barometer of society's general health, a life-affirming message that people are now ready to live despite the pandemic?
(The author is a freelance writer. All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
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