Disneyland, Universal Studios’ other theme parks and sports stadiums in California may reopen from April 1, the California Department of Public Health said Friday. But there are caveats: the Department of Health requires ‘significantly reduced capacity, mandatory masking and other public health precautions’ due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
How many people may be in the parks depends on the number of COVID-19 cases in the provinces where they are located.
For amusement parks, provinces in the ‘red’ level of California’s four-level reopening risk system – red being the second highest risk category – will be limited to attending 15 percent capacity. In the orange level the limit increases to 25 percent capacity and in the yellow level up to 35 percent. Attendance will be limited to visitors in the state. Disneyland is in Orange County, which currently has the highest-risk press level, but local news reports suggest it may move to the red level soon.
California’s outdoor sports and live performance venues have a slightly different set of reopening criteria, and some will be able to reopen, even though their provinces are in the press risk with the highest risk, but with similar capacity constraints.
“With the number of cases and hospitalizations being significantly lower, the arrival of three highly effective vaccines and targeted efforts to vaccinate the most vulnerable communities can gradually and safely bring back more activities, especially activities that take place outside and where consistent masking is possible. , ”Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said in a statement.
Disneyland closed on March 14, 2020 because cases of coronavirus spread across the US. Disney fired thousands of employees from the theme park and suffered a significant financial blow as a result of the closures. In the past fiscal quarter, revenue for Disney’s parks division fell 53 percent to $ 3.6 billion. The company said in a meeting with investors in February that it estimated that “the total net negative impact of COVID-19 on operating income in the segment was approximately $ 2.6 billion.”
Disney World in Florida also closed in March last year and reopened in July with limited capacity and with restrictions. But California has taken a more cautious approach to reversing pandemic restrictions than Florida, even as Disney executives have driven California officials to reopen theme parks and other venues.
Ken Potrock, president of Disneyland Resort, said in a statement posted on Twitter that Disneyland with the new reopening date ‘would get thousands of people back to work and help the neighboring businesses and our entire community a lot’.