Disneyland closing for 2 weeks due to the coronavirus
In an unprecedented move, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will close their gates this weekend until the end of the month due to the coronavirus.
“While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California’s executive order and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, beginning the morning of March 14 through the end of the month,” Disney said in a statement.
“The Hotels of Disneyland Resort will remain open until Monday, March 16 to give guests the ability to make necessary travel arrangements; Downtown Disney will remain open. We will monitor the ongoing situation and follow the advice and guidance of federal and state officials and health agencies. Disney will continue to pay cast members during this time.
“Disneyland Resort will work with guests who wish to change or cancel their visits, and will provide refunds to those who have hotel bookings during this closure period. We anticipate heavy call volume over the next several days and appreciate guests’ patience as we work hard to respond to all inquiries,” according to the statement.
This is the fourth time in its history that Disneyland has closed. The other times were the morning after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. This is the first time due to health reasons.
On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new recommended statewide policy for public gatherings across California.
The policy calls for modifying or postponing non-essential gatherings of 250 or more people through March 31 to help stem the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) across the state. While on Thursday, Newsom clarified the statement, saying Disneyland was exempt, the theme park decided to close anyway.
A similar public gathering ban in France, which consisted of no groups larger than 1,000 people, caused Disneyland Paris to cancel its nighttime shows for now.
Disney closed Shanghai Disneyland on Jan. 25, 2020, due to the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). It will now reopen part of the resort with limited operations. The theme parks will remain closed during this phased reopening.
As the first phase of the reopening, a limited number of shopping, dining, and recreational experiences are available in Disneytown, Wishing Star Park and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel.
Hong Kong Disneyland remains temporarily closed. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, which were scheduled to reopen March 15 will remain closed and reopen in April, Disney announced earlier this week.
There is no indication on whether Disney World will close temporarily.
