With Orange order, Disney shuttered until at least April 9
The earliest Disney World will be allowed to reopen is 11 p.m. on April 9 under an Orange County stay-at-home order meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Orange County government confirmed Thursday Disney is included in the order that adds amusement rides and water parks to a list of non-essential businesses that must temporarily stop running for the next two weeks.
Disney said on March 12 it would shut down its Orlando theme parks starting March 16 until April 1. The company did not respond Thursday to a request for comment.
Universal Orlando Resort announced Tuesday it plans to stay closed through April 19 and will continue paying full-time, parttime and salaried employees.
Analysts are bracing for potentially even longer delays, according to a new note from J.P. Morgan analyst Alexia Quadrani that warns Disneyland, Disney World and Disneyland Paris could stay shuttered through May 1, costing the company $1 billion in operating income.
The $1 billion estimate is “assuming Disney furloughs some employees for the month of April in addition to other cost mitigation efforts, equating to about $500 million of cost savings,” the note published Monday said, calling Disney’s theme parks, out of all Walt Disney Company’s divisions, the most “exposed” to the virus.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Deming’s order takes effect at 11 p.m. Thursday and covers all 13 municipalities in the county. SeaWorld Orlando, which is located within county limits, is also affected. The theme park has also not announced any updated timeline since it said it would open the turnstiles April 1.
Orange County had 110 reported cases Thursday while the state has 2,355 cases and 28 deaths.
“We believe this is the most effective way to deal with the coronavirus threat,” Demings said at a news conference Tuesday where he announced he was signing the executive order. “I know this is uncomfortable for our residents, but our goal is to stop the spread and get life back to normal as quickly as possible.”
The goal is to “flatten the curve,” the mayor said. “We can’t do it without the help of the public.”
During the press conference, a reporter asked if people who visited “the parks” would be asked to leave.
“Our parks are essentially closed. They won’t be able to congregate there,” Demings responded. Reedy Creek, which provides infrastructure and emergency services to Disney World as a county government would, is considered essential so it won’t be shut down, spokeswoman Eryka Washington said Thursday.
Both Disney and Universal are significant employers in Central Florida. Disney World Resort, the largest single-site employer in the country, has 77,000 workers, and Universal Orlando Resort has more than 25,000 on its payroll.
The extended theme park closures come in contrast as President Donald Trump pushes to get the country’s economy jumpstarted again by Easter, or April 12. Health officials have spoken out against the president and warned people’s lives could be at risk.
This is an unprecedented time for Disney World theme parks, which have never been closed this long.
Before the theme parks only sputtered to a standstill for a day or two when a hurricane hit Florida or immediately after the 9⁄11 terrorist attacks. The parks had remained open during previous health scares, such as SARS or swine flu, although experts have said those nowhere near matched the severity and the impact of the coronavirus.
In late February, theme park officials said they were closely following health officials and paying attention for updates. Hand-sanitizing stations quickly popped up Disney and Universal. Employees were reminded how important it is to wash their hands.
But it was clear the severity of the coronavirus was growing quickly.By mid-March, key parts of American culture from the NBA to the NCAA basketball tournament were canceled. Schools and civic events were shut down.