California Theme Parks Aren't Banning Screaming on Roller Coasters
The Claim
New California guidelines for roller coasters forbid riders from screaming.
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Emerging story
After months of being closed, California is finally starting to reopen its amusement parks. The California Attractions and Parks Association – a trade organization that counts Disneyland and other parks among its members – released a plan that includes set of guidelines on what parks should and should not do.
Some publications looked at these guidelines and wrote articles about it. Many of these articles assert that riders aren’t allowed to scream at all on roller coasters, such as the New York Post’s “No screaming on roller coasters under California’s COVID-19 plan.” These articles were shared on social media.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that this plan doesn’t forbid screaming at all. Rather, it states that rides should be organization in a way that can reduce the transmission chance. Rides should only have a certain amount of people, while carts should be spaced out. While the plan encourages riders to limit their screaming, nowhere does it say that they are forbidden to do so.
Moreover, this is just a plan, not a set of rules. It’s uncertain as to whether or not the plan will be strictly followed. As such, there’s no reason to believe that parks are forbidding screaming. It’s worth pointing out that one park in Japan has rules against screaming, however.
