California’s coronavirus cases are spiking right now.
After Los Angeles County decided to reopen a few short weeks ago, it didn’t take long for county and city officials to force residents back into their homes once again.
While many industries are prepared to reopen for business, it doesn’t look like a return to normalcy will happen anytime soon. Here’s how California’s coronavirus response is keeping millions from enjoying Disneyland.
Sports leagues will have a tough time
The NBA is still on time to finish the 2019-2020 season in Orlando, Florida, but 16 out of nearly 400 players have tested positive for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the NFL is on schedule for the start of the 2020-2021 season in September, but trying to keep players, coaches, and managers under heavy social distancing measures will be virtually impossible.
Other industries like cruise lines and movie theaters will take more time to reopen, and Hollywood has been delaying movies by months to even a year in some cases.
And Disney lovers who were hoping to venture to Anaheim, California for the reopening of Disneyland Resort and California Adventure on July 17th are now out of luck.
Disney issued a statement saying, “The State of California has now indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4, Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials.”
— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) June 25, 2020
It’s important to note that the reopening has been suspended indefinitely until there’s a “clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released.”
However, you will be able to visit Downtown Disney, which offers several restaurants and bars, as well as Disney stores that are located just outside of Disneyland’s main park.
California doesn’t want Disney to reopen
In the meantime, Chairman of Disney Parks, Josh D’Amaro, had said back in early June that they were “purposefully taking baby steps during this very intentional phased approach.”
Some of those approaches included requiring reservations – even for season-pass holders – and pausing their daily attractions like parades and fireworks to prevent large crowds from gathering.
But even with these precautions in place, California has declared that reopening Disneyland is a no-go.
On Sunday, an article in the Los Angeles Times claimed that easing stay-at-home orders had been a terrible move in Tinseltown.
L.A. County health director Barbara Ferrer said, “If we can’t find it in us to follow these mandates, including wearing face coverings and distancing when around others, we jeopardize our ability to move forward on the recovery journey. Our collective responsibility is to take immediate action, as individuals and businesses, to reverse the trends we are experiencing.”