Disneyland Resort in Southern California will be allowed to reopen with capacity limits starting April 1, state Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly announced Friday.
While Walt Disney World Resort in Florida reopened with capacity limits back in July 2020, California’s more stringent Covid-19 regulations have left the original Disney theme park shuttered and the travel industry struggling.
The announcement affects all of California’s amusement parks, including Magic Mountain and Universal Studios, along with sports and concert venues
“We feel like now is the appropriate time to begin to reintroduce these activities in some fashion, and in a guarded way, in a slow and steady way,” Ghaly said in a teleconference.
It’s not just Disneyland that’s been hurt. Theme parks, sports and concert venues have been shuttered in California for nearly a year to reduce spread of Covid-19.
Disney profits have been hit by closures
Ken Potrock, president of Disneyland Resort, told CNN that “we are encouraged that theme parks now have a path toward reopening this spring, getting thousands of people back to work and greatly helping neighboring businesses and our entire community.
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“With responsible Disney safety protocols already implemented around the world, we can’t wait to welcome our guests back and look forward to sharing an opening date soon.”
Profits for the company have taken a huge hit as the company reported $29 million in the first fiscal quarter of 2021, down 99% from $2.1 billion last year. With its theme parks and other in-person businesses either limited in capacity or entirely closed, Disney has relied on ventures such as the Disney+ streaming service to keep things going.
The United Food and Commercial Workers labor union applauded the announcement as well.
“Our Disney cast members are heartened by this good news today that the Disney parks will be reopening in a month,” said Andrea Zinder, president of UFCW’s Local 324, in a statement.
“They have been furloughed or out of a job for a year now and are excited to go back to work to provide Californians with a bit more magic in their lives.”
Why the parks can reopen in California
For an amusement part to reopen, the spread of Covid-19 in each county where a theme park is located must be reduced enough to advance out of the state’s most restrictive reopening tier.
Welcome to Disneyland: Architectural historian and theme park fan Chris Nichols has written about Disneyland’s origin story in new his new book “Walt Disney’s Disneyland.” Pictured here: The original Disneyland sign on Harbor Boulevard, which greeted guests from 1958 to 1989 Courtesy Collection of Dave DeCaro, davelandweb.com Expert attraction: Nichols book describes how the park came together thanks to an array of experts. “We had this great confluence of people in the aerospace industry that knew how to build things and people in the movie industry that knew how to tell stories,” Nichols tells CNN Travel. Pictured here: The Rainbow Ridge mining town. Courtesy Collection of Dave DeCaro, davelandweb.com Records and archives: The Disney company offered Nichols access to the Disney records and Nichols dived head first into the scrapbooks and photo stories. Pictured here: Monstro the Whale, from Pinocchio, who guarded the entrance to the Storybook Land Canal Boats, 1956. Courtesy 2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc Historic perspective: Nichols was also able to chat to original “Imagineer” Bob Gerr. “He was working on [Disneyland] when it was in development now and that’s astounding to have a perspective of someone that saw it go from an idea to a reality,” says Nichols. Pictured here: Walt Disney describing his park on television in 1954. Courtesy 2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc Insider look: The book includes behind-the-scenes information on how the park went from sketches to working attractions. Pictured here: the Rocket to the Moon and Astro-Jets attractions existed 14 years before the moon landing. Courtesy Disney Incredible insight: Nichols also spoke to to Richard Sherman, the musical genius who, along with his brother Robert B. Sherman, soundtracked “Mary Poppins” and other Disney hits. Pictured here: Sleeping Beauty’s Castle an iconic Disney landmark. Courtesy Getty Images/AllanGrant/The LIFE Picture Collection New-found appreciation: Nichols thinks the book will give readers a new-found appreciation for the artistry behind Disneyland. Pictured here: one of the original members of the WED Model Shop, Harriet Burns constructing the scale models for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction. Courtesy Jordan Reichek Collection/Van Eaton Galleries
