Dutch theme park Efteling is closing once again as of today, due to the continued spread of Covid-19 in The Netherlands. The two-time winner of our Theme Park Insider Award as the world's best theme park had been open since November 19, following a two-week closure that month. The park originally closed due to the pandemic on March 14, reopening in May 20.
Now the park says that it will remain closed to guests until January 20, 2021, as The Netherlands orders another round of business and entertainment closures in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, which now has killed more than 10,000 people in the country. (For comparison, The Netherlands has suffered about 58 deaths per 100,000 population, while the United States has had about 91 deaths per 100,000 residents. Over the last seven days, the US's death rate has been 4.3 people per 100,000, while The Netherlands' has been 1.8 people per 100,000.)
The Efteling Hotel and Holiday Village Efteling Loonsche Land also will close, starting tomorrow. Like the theme park, they will remain closed until January 20. Holiday Village Efteling Bosrijk and the Efteling Golfpark will remain open.
Most other major theme parks in Europe, including Disneyland Paris and Europe Park, also have closed again due to the continued spread of the virus.
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