After almost a year of being closed down, Disneyland is finally allowed to reopen along with other California theme parks and attractions starting April 1st. This does include sports stadiums throughout the state. Capacity and attendance will be limited, and the reopening comes with a set of mandatory restrictions. The news was officially announced by health officials earlier today.
Outdoor activities are allowed to resume throughout the state just in time for spring break. California Theme Parks, which includes Universal Studios Hollywood, Knotts Berry Farm and LEGOland alongside Disneyland and California Adventure, will only be allowed to operated at 15% capacity. This is dependent on the theme park’s respective county entering California’s red tier designation.
Secretary of California Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly delivered this news himself during a conference call, updating California residents on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The catch, which may turn off vacationers eager to return to their favorite theme park, is that indoor rides are off limits. And the parks will only be open to individuals who actually live in the state.
The new restrictions being imposed on the theme parks and sports stadiums include building capacity limitations and a time limitation. Rides that partially go inside a building for even just a brief amount of time are also off limits. No indoor dining is allowed within the various parks and stadiums. Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock had this to say about Disneyland finally opening its doors again after almost an entire year of being shuttered.
“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. 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.”
United Food and Commercial Workers, many of which are employees by the theme parks and stadiums being reopened, were one-hundred percent behind the move to get things back up and running in time for spring break. Andrea Zinder, president of UFCW Local 324, had this to say in an official statement.
“Our Disney cast members are heartened by this good news today that the Disney parks will be reopening in a month. 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. Our priority will be to continue to work closely with the Governor and Disney to ensure our members are kept safe from COVID-19 infections on the job as the parks reopen.”
As of now, it is unclear how visitors will be allowed to reserve dates for visiting the various theme parks. Disneyland is expected to make a more formal announcement about their plans for reopening soon.