The temporary closure of Magikland, the first outdoor theme park in the Visayas located in Silay City, Negros Occidental, has been extended until Dec. 17 as a preventive measure against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The management announced earlier that the park was closed from Dec. 11 to 13 after one of its ride attendants contracted the virus. On Monday, another announcement came out that Magikland will resume operations on Dec. 18 and will open daily afterwards until Jan. 3.

In a statement, Reynaldo Bantug, president of Magikland, Aton Land Leisure Inc., said the health and safety of the staff and visitors are of utmost importance, hoping that the park would already be safe for enjoyment once it reopens this coming weekend.

He added that the swab tests of the key employees involved in the contract tracing efforts came out negative.

“Rest assured, that for everyone’s safety, the park is disinfected on a regular basis. Wearing of masks and observing physical distancing are required, and frequent washing of hands is encouraged. Once again, we thank you for working together with us to create a safe, happy and healthy environment for all,” Bantug said.

On Nov. 14, Magikland re-opened its doors some eight months after community quarantine measures were imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Situated on a five-hectare tourism enterprise zone, its theme was derived from the Filipino legend of “Bakunawa”, a moon-eating dragon, which was turned into a friendly and happy creature to become the main mascot of the theme park.

Bakunawa is joined by four child warriors, whose names pay homage to the local landscape – Boy Bakunawa, Mara Marapara, Pat Patag, and Kit Kanlaon.

Considered as the country’s first Filipino-inspired theme park, it gave life to the movie “Magikland”, one of the entries in the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival. (PNA)