Earlier this week Disney announced that they were going to have a press conference related to the company’s response to COVID-19, and while we initially assumed it was related to the currently-rumored fall reopening of Disneyland, the press conference actually ended up serving as a tool for Disney to make its case to the state of California for reopening, showcasing how other Disney parks have safely opened across the world, with Disney parks chief Josh D’Amaro making a plea directly to state and local government officials to give Disneyland and Disney California Adventure clearance to reopen now, saying, “We need guidelines that are fair and equitable.”
The stakes of course are not only high for Disneyland, but for the hotels, restaurants, and more that surround it, with 80,000 estimated regional jobs depending directly on the reopening of the Disneyland resort, according to D’Amaro, who added that “The longer we wait, the more devastating the impact will be for Orange County,” during the presentation.
Like other Disney parks, Disneyland’s reopening plan includes mandatory masks, social distancing, increased sanitization, additional mobile order availability, reduced attraction capacity and enhanced employee training. In addition, Disney announced that they would be opening a COVID-19 testing site for the Disneyland community, similar to what they have done at Walt Disney World.
Though California Governor Gavin Newsom did not address the presentation directly, he recently said that an announcement on California theme park reopening guidelines was coming “very, very shortly”, which hopefully means that something will be announced in the near future. With Disneyland making public statements and putting public pressure on the government with this latest press conference, it seems like something has to happen soon, not only for Disney but also for other theme parks in the state who have been unable to operate since March, including Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, SeaWorld San Diego, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Legoland California, and other, smaller regional parks.
What do you think about the delayed reopening of Disneyland in California? Should Disney be able to open this park as soon as possible or do you support the local government playing it safe? Let us know in the comments below!
