As a fallout of the MHA Unlock 5.0 guidelines wherein entertainment parks were permitted to open since 15th October, 2020, subject to compliance with SOPs for the same; in line with the Standard Operating Procedure (“SOP”) notified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Health Department of Karnataka (“Department”) has issued Guidelines on preventive measures to be followed (“Guidelines”) to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Entertainment Parks and other similar places.
Key Compliance Obligations:
1. Entertainment Parks only outside Containment Zones may be reopened. The ones in Containment Zones shall remain closed;
2. Promoting COVID appropriate behaviour (staff and visitors):
a. Ensuring Physical Distancing of 6 feet, compulsory use of face covers / masks, frequent hand washing with soap, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers;
b. Following Cough etiquettes such as covering mouth and nose with tissue and handkerchief while coughing or sneezing; prohibition on spitting;
c. Self-monitoring of COVID-19 like symptoms and reporting to Apthamitra helpline 14410;
3. Protection of vulnerable population:
a. management of entertainment parks to advise visitors that persons above 65 years of age, co-morbidities, pregnant women and the children who are below 10 years of age to stay at home;
b. ensure that older employees (above 65 years), pregnant women and employees with underlying comorbidities are not made to do work which requires direct contact with the public;
4. Providing healthy environment within the premises:
a. Prior to resuming activities, all work areas, public utility areas and open spaces (rides, museums, gardens, food courts, gift shops, theatres) to be sanitized with 1% Sodium hypochlorite solution and disinfected on a regular basis;
b. Cleaning and regular disinfection of frequently touched surfaces before opening the entertainment park, at the end of the day and at regular intervals;
c. Provide multiple hand washing stations and hand sanitizers for the use of public. Provide liquid soap in toilets and hand sanitizers in common areas;
d. Ensure deep cleaning of drinking and hand washing stations, washrooms, showers etc.
e. Advise visitors and employees to dispose of used face covers, masks in separate covered bins placed in appropriate areas
f. Water-based activities to remain closed;
g. Ensure staggered timings and regulation of physical numbers on rides while theatres to allow 50% of seating capacity while ensuring physical distancing norms;
5. Planning for operations, scheduling, and monitoring of activities:
Physical Distancing:
Specific markings on the floor to be made to ensure physical distancing, deploy enough persons for queue management and physical distancing inside and outside the premises, lockers for staff and visitors should be disinfected on a daily basis;
Crowd Management:
a. Online tickets shall be encouraged, and number of tickets sold to be commensurate with the floor area per person in line with physical distancing norms; entry to the park to be regulated in accordance;
b. Monitoring of entry of visitors with tickets to ensure that the number of visitors inside the entertainment park doesn’t exceed the permissible limit;
c. CCTV monitoring to be ensured to detect crowding of rides, food court etc. and appropriate public announcements shall be made;
d. where online ticketing facility does not exist, plan adequate number of ticket counters duly ensuring physical distancing norms;
e. make suitable provisions for contact-less payment.
Ensure proper ventilation:
a. Ensure natural ventilation and discourage use of closed spaces; increase circulation of outdoor air by opening doors and windows and use of fans and other methods;
b. Follow guidelines of CPWD for air-conditioning of closed enclosures; temperature setting for air conditioning devices to be in the range of 24 – 30 degrees while relative humidity should be in 40-70 percent with adequate cross-ventilation;
Provide COVID-19 related supplies:
a. management to arrange for employees: personal protection devices like face covers/masks, face-shield, hand-gloves, hand sanitizers, liquid soap, 1% sodium hypochlorite solution, adequate supply of calibrated thermal scanner etc.
b. covered dustbins and trash cans as per Central Pollution Control Board Guidelines;
Creating awareness:
a. display preventive measures for COVID-19 on website or mobile application; provide information to visitors on self-monitoring for COVID-19 like symptoms and not visit if symptomatic,
b. prominently display posters, standees and AV media on preventive measures against COVID-19 along with State helpline numbers (Apthamitra 14410) numbers of local health authorities (District health authorities/ BBMP)
6. Maintaining Healthy operations:
Entrance to have hands-free sanitizer dispenser and thermal screening provisions. Those with body temperature of above 99.5° F (37.5° C) shall not be allowed and referred to seek medical consultation immediately. Multiple gates/separate gates, if feasible, to be used for entry and exit and only asymptomatic persons (managerial staff, employees, visitors) to be allowed in the premises;
b. Management staff, employees and visitors living in Containment Zones shall not be allowed in Entertainment Park and other similar places;
c. Compulsory face cover / masks for employees / visitors at all times inside the entertainment park;
d. Staggering of visitors to maintain physical distancing, when queuing up at the time of entry and for rides, etc. Proper queue management to be followed at all places;
Within the premises of the entertainment park Complex:
a. Seating arrangement to be done while ensuring 6 feet between chairs, benches, etc.
b. Staggering of visitors for different rides, to allow adequate physical distancing. Number of people in elevators be restricted, duly maintaining physical distancing norms.
During rides:
a. Disinfect commonly touched surfaces of the ride equipment, before commencing the ride. Ensure that visitors sanitize their hands before and after the rides. Provide hand sanitizer at the entry and exit of ride stations.
b. Ensure physical distancing in rides.
Activities in common areas – souvenir shops, stalls, cafeteria, food courts, changing rooms, showers, etc.
a. Food courts and restaurants to operate at 50% of seating capacity;
b. Seating arrangement to ensure adequate physical distancing;
c. Food court staff / waiters to wear mask, face-shield and hand gloves and take required COVID-19 precautionary measures.
d. Contactless mode of ordering, delivery and digital mode of payment shall be encouraged.
f. Sanitize tables each time customer leaves;
g. staff to follow physical distancing norms and other COVID appropriate behaviour at workplace;
All suspect/ confirmed cases in the premises should be reported as per the procedure mentioned in the Guidelines.
Source: Health Department, Karnataka
