KUALA LUMPUR: Theme parks operators were gleeful upon learning that they could resume operations from tomorrow.
Sunway Lagoon, the Lost World of Tambun and Legoland are among the theme parks waiting to resume operations.
This was after they and other water parks and theme parks were forced to close for nearly three months due to the imposition of the Movement Control Order since March 18.
Sunway Theme Parks executive director Calvin Ho said its theme parks — Sunway Lagoon in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur and Lost World of Tambun in Sunway City Ipoh — were looking forward to welcoming visitors.
"We have been preparing for the reopening since March and have put in place standard operating procedures (SOP) recommended by the Health Ministry.
"The safety of our patrons is our priority and we will ensure that the safety measures at the parks are of the highest standards when we reopen."
His remarks come in the wake of Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's announcement that the National Security Council had given the green light for water theme parks to reopen from July 1.
Ho said Sunway-operated theme parks had implemented 20 safety protocols for its staff and guests at two parks.
Among the new normal at the parks are a regular disinfection process after each ride, and sanitiser placed at the entrance and exit points of each ride and strategic spots for public use.
Visitors, he said, were encouraged to pre-purchase their entrance tickets online, have their temperature taken and fill up a self-declaration form before entering the parks.
"We will have staff monitoring social distancing at all times, especially at queue lines and while waiting for the ride at Sunway Lagoon and the Lost World of Tambun.
"Guests are required to use a face mask and apply hand sanitise before interacting with the animals and to wash their hands with soap at designated sinks after each contact."
He said visitors could use contactless payment via e-payment options available.
Pools would be chlorinated and the water quality checked every two hours using an auto-dosing system.
"As we have practised before MCO, guests are reminded to take good care of their hygiene while enjoying the park."
He said in light of the reopening, Sunway City Kuala Lumpur would launch a "Ke Sana Ke Sini Ke Sunway" campaign at the theme park.
Legoland Malaysia Resorts divisional director C.S. Lim said the theme park management was excited about the reopening of Legoland Water Park as 85 per cent of park operations had resumed from June 25.
However, it wanted to evaluate, strengthen and reinforce the health and safety protocols before opening the water park, he said.
"We're taking this step to ensure that we fulfil the government's safety requirement.
"We will announce the official reopening date of the water park once we are confident of keeping everyone, including our teams and the community, safe with the SOP.
"In the meantime, we welcome families and Lego fans to visit the resort, where the Legoland Theme Park, Hotel and SEA Life Malaysia have resumed operations with stricter safety measures in place since June 25."
Lim said safety and hygiene remained its priority in the new normal.
"We want our guests to have an all-in-one destination for fun and adventurous family vacation while having the confidence to enjoy their stay with peace of mind.
"Since last Thursday, the response has been great and we encourage more people to take advantage of the promotions and limited-time offers," he said.
Those who wish to visit the theme park can log on to their website to learn more about its safety measures and SOP, such as placing an online booking and making payments via contactless bank cards.
The La Stella Water Theme Park in Kempas, Johor, is set to open on July 3.
The water park's manager-in-charge, Khairul Nizam Othman said it was badly affected by the MCO and was grateful to reopen.
"The past months, we had to depend solely on the income from the golf course because the park couldn't open.
"Business was also slow, as most of the golfers were from across the border."
He said the management had been looking forward to the reopening and had no problem following the specifications set by the government.
"We have not discussed in detail the measures to apply when we reopen on Friday, but will have a meeting on it tomorrow.
"I have read through the new SOP for water theme parks and it is not difficult to follow."
He said the SOP changes at the park would only start tomorrow, after the meeting with the higher management of La Stella.
Among the SOP to comply with, Khairul said, was the use of a higher amount of chlorine in the pools and increasing the frequency of water treatment and refilling.