Though Shanghai Disney Resort is working on a gradual reopening, in the United States all theme parks remain closed, with no reopening target in sight. And though reports suggest that Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort have been eyeing a June 1 potential reopening date, some recent comments from government officials, including the President of the United States, seem to indicate that it could be MUCH longer before we’ll be able to enter a Disney park.
California governor not optimistic about summer mass gatherings
Earlier this week California Governor Gavin Newsom said that unless a massive drop of of positive COVID-19 cases happens in the near future, mass gatherings will not be possible in the state and herd immunity and large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers in June, July and August will be “unlikely” to occur. Though Newsom did not specifically mention theme parks, considering Disneyland Resort attracts thousands of guests per day, it seems like the resort won’t be able to open under these guidelines any time soon.
Florida Surgeon General advises continued social distancing
Though Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not issued specific guidelines for the state after May 1, Florida’s Surgeon General Scott A. Rivkees recently stated that social distancing measures will be needed until a vaccine is developed for COVID-19. And while some kind of social distancing could come to Walt Disney World, the sort of aggressive measures that would be required to continue to contain the spread of COVID-19 if the pandemic continues into the summer would simply not be possible at a theme park, even with the most stringent guidelines.
And though these guidelines are fairly vague, recent directives from the President of the United States are a little bit more clear about when we could expect places like Disney theme parks to reopen
New opening “phase” guidelines announced by Federal Government
Earlier this week President Trump unveiled a phased system by which states can “reopen” which includes the following guidelines:
- Phase one reopening stipulates that states which are seeing a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period (flat or increasing volume of tests) can initiate phase one of a reopening, which still involved avoiding non-essential travel and not gathering in groups, but allows for large venues such as restaurants, places of worship and sports venues to operate under strict physical distancing protocols.
- Phase two can take effect If there is no evidence of a resurgence of COVID-19 and includes a key measure that allows non-essential travel to resume. States in this phase can reopen schools and bars can operate “with diminished standing-room occupancy”.
- Phase three, which can take effect with a downward trend of symptoms and cases can allow “public interactions” with physical distancing and the unrestricted staffing of worksites. Visits to care homes and hospitals can resume and bars can increase their standing room capacity.
Though these phases don’t specifically mention theme parks, it seems like Disney theme parks could not reopen until Florida and/or California can enter phase three, as theme parks need unrestricted staffing to operate, and “public interactions” are of course a must at theme parks.
And while it would be great if COVID-19 cases decrease immediately and we could jump to phase three, it doesn’t look like these phases will be implemented quickly, especially as the United States tries to keep cases as low as possible.
As we’ve said previously, there is no way to know exactly how long theme parks will be dealing with the effects of Coronavirus, but while this situation is continuing, all travelers should check out the CDC’s official site here, which has information on the virus and how to prevent its spread.
