Enchanted Kingdom Closed Until Jan. 16

Amusement park Enchanted Kingdom said Wednesday it was suspending operations at least until Jan. 16 due to the rising number of COVID-19 infections in the country.

The theme park, located in Sta. Rosa City in Laguna, said the voluntary suspension of operations would be for the safety of its staff and guests even as the province remained under Alert Level 2 where amusement parks can operate.

"Management has decided to voluntarily suspend its operations for the safety and health of both our guests and staff/cast members given the current increasing trend in COVID-19 infections in the country," Enchanted Kingdom said.

The scheduled suspension of operations is subject to change, management added.

The Enchanted Kingdom management said tickets booked via the EK Online Store could be rebooked any time before the ticket validity end date.  Customers may also log in to their account and view the "My Orders" tab to make any changes.

On Wednesday, the Philippines logged 10,775 new COVID-19 cases, the highest ever for 2022 and double the tally from the previous day.

Health authorities have warned the public of rising COVID-19 infections due to the hyper-contagious Omicron coronavirus variant and in what the government has described as complacency in the observance of minimum public health standards during the holiday season.