Sea World Laying Off 250 San Antonio Workers Amid Declining Attendance During Pandemic

Sea World Laying Off 250 San Antonio Workers Amid Declining Attendance During Pandemic
Instagram / seaworldsanantonio
Sea World Entertainment Inc. is laying off 242 Alamo City employees as it reels from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the San Antonio Express-News reports.

Declining attendance led the theme park to jettison jobs across a variety of departments, including animal trainers, ride mechanics, theater technicians, performers, food service workers and officials in marketing and merchandising, according to the daily.

“While the Texas parks reopened at a reduced operating capacity and guest capacity in June, park attendance has been impacted by self-imposed limitations and consumer concerns regarding COVID-19 and other concerns,” SeaWorld San Antonio President Byron Surrett wrote in a letter to the Texas Workforce Commission cited by the Express-News.

SeaWorld has limited attendance at its San Antonio park to 25% of normal capacity, in line with Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.

“While we were able to bring thousands of furloughed ambassadors back to work and hoped to bring back everyone, the current environment requires us to set up the company for long-term success,” SeaWorld Entertainment officials said in a statement supplied to the Express-News.

Full-time and salaried employees cut loose in the layoffs may receive up to four weeks of severance pay, according to the report.

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