Disneyland, other parks to close for rest of the month over virus
LOS ANGELES — Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will close Saturday morning through the end of the month in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health officials’ recommendation that gatherings of 250 or more people be canceled across the state, company officials said.
“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,” Walt Disney Co. wrote in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“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.”
The company announced it would refund hotel bookings during the closure.
Disneyland and other Southern California theme parks were open for business Thursday morning, even after the guidance from the governor, which does not carry the force of law and does “not apply to essential public transportation, airport travel or shopping at a store or mall.”
A representative of Knott’s Berry Farm said Thursday morning that the Buena Park attraction “is aware of the new guidance issued by the state of California last night regarding large events based on the COVID-19 outbreak. Knott’s Berry Farm is open today as we understand and evaluate what this means for our park, our guests and our associates.”
Before announcing the closure, Disney had said in an online message that Disneyland and its Disney World resort in Florida were still open and “we continue to implement preventative measures in line with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state and local health agencies.”
The online message said the parks have added additional hand sanitizer stations and increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting “high guest contact areas.”
A measles outbreak originated in the popular Anaheim park in 2015, spreading to dozens of cases stretching beyond U.S. borders. Disneyland drew 18.7 million visitors in 2018 while the Magic Kingdom park in Florida hosted 20.9 million.
During a news conference Thursday, Newsom said the guidelines excluded large parks like Disneyland and places such as casinos, card rooms and movie theaters because of “the complexity of their unique circumstances.”
“I assure you we are moving quickly and effectively toward a resolution in those spaces,” Newsom said. “They raised enough legitimate concerns and questions in the short run that we thought it appropriate to exclude them from this general order today and advance those conversations (in) earnest.”