The teacups could be spinning again soon: Disneyland, which has been closed for a year, is about to reopen this spring.
On Friday, California officials announced that theme parks in the state could reopen on a limited basis as early as April 1. However, the eligibility depends on the statistics on the transmission of coronaviruses in the individual counties.
For example, theme parks in counties where the virus threat remains the most severe (on the purple level under the state system) must remain closed. Parks in areas where the risk of infection has decreased somewhat (red level), however, may be reopened with a capacity of 15 percent. A capacity of 25 percent enables even less threat (orange level).
Participation is restricted to visitors from within Germany.
Disneyland is located in Orange County, which is on the purple row. However, if coronavirus cases in Southern California continue to decline at the current pace, the county could fall into the orange category by the end of April. The Walt Disney Company said last year that reopening a park with less than 25 percent capacity would not make economic sense. A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment on a specific reopening schedule on Friday.
“We’re encouraged that theme parks now have a way to reopen this spring and get thousands of people back to work,” Disneyland president Ken Potrock said in a statement.
Disney announced it would take at least four weeks to hire employees and train them in new coronavirus safety procedures. Before the pandemic, around 32,000 people worked at the 486-acre Disneyland Resort, which includes two separate-ticket theme parks, three Disney-operated hotels, and an outdoor mall. Most of the Anaheim complex has been closed for a year.
Disney had hoped to reopen its California attractions in July. However, unions representing Disneyland employees criticized this schedule for being too fast and pressured Governor Gavin Newsom to withhold approval. He joined the unions and urged fans to attack him online. (“Open Disney or we’ll take your hair gel away.”)
In contrast, Florida allowed Disney to reopen its Orlando parks in July. The company received less and less criticism for this, but strict security procedures, including mandatory masks, resulted in an environment that was more secure than expected.
“It was a success story,” said Julee Jerkovich, a United Food & Commercial Workers official, in October. “As a union representative, I don’t say that lightly.”
In addition to Disneyland, California’s theme parks include Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knotts Berry Farm, and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.
