Six Flags Great Adventure guests will be required to make reservations once amusement park reopens

All guests to Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari will have to book reservations in advance to visit the amusement park once it reopens amid the coronavirus pandemic, the amusement park announced on its website. That includes both season pass holders and Six Flags members. 

Visitors will be required to schedule their trip to the New Jersey theme park—which also includes Six Flags Hurricane Harbor—on its online reservation system “in order to meet state social distancing guidelines and ensure the health and safety of our guests,” the amusement park said.

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The Jackson, Ocean County theme park announced on March 30 that it would be temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak across the state and that its opening would be delayed until at least mid-May. It now remains closed indefinitely. 

Season Pass holders for 2020 will have their passes extended for the number of operating days that the theme park remains closed. Six Flags Great Adventure members will be given one additional month for each month that the park is shut down, as well as a free membership level upgrade for the remainder of the season.

“Following local and regional COVID-19 health directives, we will open as soon as it is safe to do so,” the amusement park said. “While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at the properties, the safety of our guests, team members, and animals is always our highest priority. We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation, and follow the most current guidance from federal, state, and local officials.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced on March 17 that amusement parks must close until further notice in order to mitigate the spread of the virus across the state. He ordered all non-essential businesses to close, banned both public and private gatherings of all sizes, and instituted a stay-at-home order on March 21 that remains in effect until further notice.

Last weekend, Murphy approved the reopening of state and county parks and golf courses. The decision was based on key health metrics the state is following, such as hospitalizations for COVID-19 and daily increases in confirmed new infections.

"With all due respect to all the pressure that’s been out there, we couldn’t frankly care," Murphy said when announcing those openings. "We made this call based on data, science, fact, and mental health.”

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this week found widespread approval for Murphy's handling of the coronavirus crisis in New Jersey. The state extended its public health emergency order for 30 days on Wednesday and indicated there is no current timeline to reopen more broadly.