California Officials Are Reviewing How and When to Reopen Disneyland and Other Theme Parks Safely

Disney4me · August 10, 2020

This week marks the first month since Disney World reopened after its longest closure in history. Disneyland Resort’s theme parks and hotels, however, have yet to reopen.

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Disneyland’s Gate – Still closed.

After announcing a prospective grand reopening date, Disneyland Resort’s reopening was delayed except for Downtown Disney which officially welcomed back guests on July 15th.

So far, there hasn’t been any news regarding when Disneyland would reopen — not so much as a mention even during the Q3 earnings call which took place last week. Now according to The Orange County Register, “California state officials are reviewing how and when to reopen Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and other theme parks.”

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Disneyland Resort

“Theme parks are not permitted to open in California at this time, under current public health orders,” California Health and Human Services spokesperson Kate Folmar said via email. “We will continue to review health data to determine when and how theme parks may consider reopening at lower risk to staff and visitors.”

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Disneyland Resort

Disneyland along with other major theme park competitors including Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Legoland California, and SeaWorld San Diego all shut down in March and have yet to reopen. Some smaller parks such as Knott’s Berry Farm have been permitted to reopen but only to serve food. No rides or other guest experiences have resumed.

Earlier this summer, state officials seemed onboard with reopening California’s theme parks as Phase 3 of their proposed reopening plan seemed to be approaching quickly. California’s Orange County (where Disneyland resides) met the required criteria and was cleared to transition into “full stage two” of California’s reopening plan but as cases began to spike, reopening plans were rolled back.

Disneyland Hotel

At this time, the California government is still reviewing the timeline to reopen locations like Disneyland. The California Department of Public Health will issue detailed guidelines pertaining to how to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 when the parks reopen and the state says they’ll be working alongside the California theme parks to develop their new health and safety plans together. We’ll continue to let you know what progress is being made as this story develops, so stay tuned!