Theme park aims to open April 24

Company to have 4,000 seasonal workers, plans reservation system

Six Flags plans to reopen its theme park and water parks in Illinois this spring, with a reservation system, on-site temperature checks and mask requirements.

Six Flags Great America plans to open April 24, with water parks Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Hurricane Harbor Rockford on May 29. The company is hiring 4,000 seasonal workers in Illinois, said spokeswoman Sandra Daniels.

The company, based in Arlington, Texas, is instituting an online advance reservation system to help control capacity.

People will be able to go online, answer a series of health questions, select a date to visit and purchase tickets. Same-day reservations typically are available, but not all time slots may be open, the company said.

The parks are installing a touchless health screening system that will monitor visitors’ temperatures as they enter the park.

If the system senses a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, the person will be taken to a separate area and rechecked.

Anyone with a confirmed temperature of that level or higher will be asked to leave the property, Daniels said.

A mask requirement will be in place for visitors age 2 and older. Markers on the ground will be used to maintain social distancing in the lines for rides and in dining areas.

“We have a plan in place,” Daniels said. “We know how to protect our team members and our guests.”

Applicants for jobs, which will have starting pay above $11 an hour, will be interviewed for positions virtually, Daniels said. Employees will undergo daily health screenings.

New on the list of attractions this year at Hurricane Harbor Chicago is Tsunami Surge, an 86-foot water coaster that the company says will be the tallest of its kind in the world.

Last year, the two Illinois water parks opened for a shortened season.

Six Flags Great America was only open for a special holiday lights event but no rides were open.