Michigan’s Adventure reopened its WildWater Adventure water park on July 17 – months after its usual Memorial Day Weekend opener. Now, after some initial confusion, they’re back to being closed, per Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders.
The state’s largest amusement park was allowed to reopen its water park to the public, but after an uptick in positive Covid-19 cases, the governor issued an order that closed “outdoor services or facilities involving close contact of persons, for amusement or other recreational or entertainment purposes, such as amusement parks … water parks, and other similar recreational or entertainment facilities.” County health officials sought clarification from the state, since the park had just reopened two weeks prior.
In response to an inquiry from MLive, Tiffany Brown, Whitmer’s press secretary, released the following statement: “We’re in the middle of a pandemic with a virus that spreads in crowded places. Amusement parks that allow large numbers of people to congregate, including waterslide parks, are precisely the kind of environment that could facilitate spread. If we want our schools to open, we’ve got to make tough choices about limiting our contacts,” the statement read.