The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is making plans to reopen its rides and attractions after California announced that amusement parks of all sizes can resume operations April 1. 

 “We’re incredibly encouraged by the state’s announcement,” said Kris Reyes, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk spokesman. The public can currently stroll the Boardwalk, buy food, shop and play outdoor games, but which rides will open and when are still being decided.

The state’s new Blueprint for a Safer Economy guidelines ease restrictions at amusement parks as long as their counties are in “red tier 2” or better. Restrictions include capping attendance at 15 to 35% depending on tier, and restricting access to in-state visitors. 

Hiring for seasonal employment will depend on what attractions the Boardwalk decides to reopen, but Reyes encourages job seekers to keep an eye on the company’s jobs board. “We’ll be making announcements at the appropriate time as to what our hiring plans are, but we simply don’t know yet.” 

Current employees are given a daily health screening: they answer a series of questions and have their temperatures checked before working. It’s not yet clear what the state’s newly released guideline for a “weekly worker testing program” will mean for employees. 

“We’re still trying to figure out exactly what that looks like from the state’s perspective,” Reyes said, “so that we can comply with it and make sure we’re keeping everyone healthy and safe.”

Reyes hopes that as more attractions open, more food and retail concessionaires who lease space from the Boardwalk can return as well. 

“It’s definitely new territory for us in our 114-year history. We’ve never been through anything quite like this so it’s causing us to take a look at all of our operating systems, all of our procedures, and really rework and reimagine just about everything.”   

For updates on jobs at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, visit: 

beachboardwalk.com/jobs