News

Disneyland Won’t Reopen July 17

June 24, 2020 by Juliet Bennett Rylah
Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle. Photo by Christian Champlin

Disneyland will not open on July 17 as previously planned. This news follows petitions and calls from employees, unions, and fans alike to delay the reopening, but the reason Disneyland gave has to do with guidance from the state. 

According to a statement issued today, Disneyland won’t reopen so soon because the state won’t issue reopening guidelines for theme parks until after July 4. That wouldn’t give Disneyland enough time to implement whatever safety protocols those guidelines demand.

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“Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials. Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date,” the statement read. 

Downtown Disney will still reopen on July 9.

Petitions to delay the July 17 reopening recently circulated online, arguing that it was too early to reopen the theme park and ensure the safety of employees and visitors. Unions representing some 17,000 Disneyland employees argued likewise, sending a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom asking him to block the reopening. In today’s statement, Disney said it continues to negotiate with its unions and currently has signed agreements with 20 of them. 

And today, California hit a new high with over 7,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

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