Though Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando have announced that their parks are closed until further notice, several parks like Universal Orlando Resort and LEGOLAND Florida have said that they are hoping to reopen by mid-April. However, it looks like new regulations from the United States government have been put in place that have officially made it impossible for any theme parks to open before the beginning of May at the earliest.
Social distancing guidelines in the United States are now in effect until April 30th
The United States government has officially announced as of Sunday March 29, 2020 that it will extend the social distancing guidelines for another 30 days through at least April 30 2020, past the initial 15 day-long guidelines announced two weeks ago to control the spread of COVID-19. These guidelines specifically limit on the size of large gatherings and keeping vulnerable groups at home.
According to a speech made by President Trump, the expectation is that by June 1, 2020 businesses may be able to return to normal operations, which is in line with the reported internal projections by Disney, which has stopped all reservations for dining, hotels, and more from now until that date.
Right now there have been no statements from any theme park companies about these extended social distancing guidelines, but we’d expect some official word confirming these extended closures some time in the near future as the situation with the spread of COVID-19 continues to evolve.
What does this mean for theme park employees?
Of course, these newly released Federal guidelines may leave theme park workers with a lot of questions, as Walt Disney World has only pledged to pay Cast Members through mid-April, and SeaWorld has furloughed 90 percent of its employees until it can reopen its parks. Hopefully with these new guidelines, theme park workers around the country will get more information on next steps they can take to ensure they are able to keep taking care of themselves and their families.
Could theme parks open before the summer with Social Distancing measures intact?
Last week rumors seemed to indicate that Walt Disney World is considering reopening while keeping social distancing practices in mind, and depending on how the situation evolves, we might see such practices (which include the extensive use of virtual queues, seating distance enforcement on rides, and some restrictions on eating in restaurants) which could help theme parks open in a limited capacity before the June 1 date. And if Disney does implement these measures, we could see them becoming used more widely throughout the theme park industry, depending on the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the coming weeks.
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.
