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Alton Towers postpones Gangsta Granny opening

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alton towers gangsta granny the ride

Alton Towers has postponed the opening of Gangsta Granny: The Ride until spring 2021. The attraction is also preparing to reopen after being closed for more than 10 weeks amid COVID-19.

Alton Towers shared: “We are sorry to say that we’ve taken the very difficult decision to postpone the opening of Gangsta Granny: The Ride until spring 2021.

“We are hugely disappointed, as we know many of you will be. So much hard work has gone into the design and build of what promises to be a brilliant, unique ride experience.

“We look forward to launching Gangsta Granny: The Ride and the other attractions in the brand-new area inspired by The World of David Walliams next year with all the fanfare they deserve.”

Gangsta Granny postponed during coronavirus crisis

Alton Towers hopes to be able to confirm its reopening date soon, but in the meantime, it has been reviewing the entire operation and planning changes to keep guests and staff safe.

In a blog post, health, safety and security director Jonathan Ellis wrote: “The other advantage we have at Alton Towers is that, as part of Merlin Entertainments, we are part of a global team and can draw on the experience of colleagues across the world.

“As the spread of coronavirus has not been uniform across nations, there are already attractions within the Merlin group that have reopened in Asia, New Zealand and now Germany.”

The phased reopening of Alton Towers will involve limited capacity and advance booking. There will be strict limits on visitor numbers at the resort and on attractions.

Alton Towers hopes to reopen soon in UK

Alton Towers
Alton Towers

All staff and guests will be asked to monitor their own health and not visit the attraction if they feel unwell or have a temperature or a cough.

Temperature checks will be mandatory for all employees and guests. Those with a high temperature will not be allowed to enter – though they can rebook at no additional cost.

As for social distancing, Alton Towers will focus its attention on ‘pinch points’ around the park where groups of people tend to gather.

It will install spatial markers at ‘pinch points’, which include the admissions plaza, all queue lines for rides and attractions, and food and retail outlets.

On the rides, guests will remain in their family groups, with empty seats or rows between different groups. There will also be limited capacity at shows.

Visitors will be encouraged to wash their hands regularly, and Alton Towers is installing hand sanitiser dispensers around the resort.

Staff will be issued with protective clothing, including face masks and gloves. Alton Towers will leave it up to guests to decide if they want to wear masks.

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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