Disneyland closing through end of month because of coronavirus

Disneyland will close due to the threat of coronavirus, Disney announced Thursday.

Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure will close the morning of March 14 and will stay closed the rest of the month, Disney said in a statement.

The hotels of Disneyland Resort will stay open until March 16 to give guests staying there the chance to make travel arrangements, the statement says.

Downtown Disney will not close.

There are no reported cases of COVID-19 at the resort, Disney said.

The decision was made “in the best interest of our guests and employees,” Disney said.

Approximately 18.6 million people visited the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, in 2018, Statista reports. The resort includes both the original Disneyland, opened in 1955, and Disney California Adventure, which opened in 2001.

Disneyland, which normally remains open year-round, including on Thanksgiving and Christmas, previously shut down in 1963 on a national day of mourning for President John F. Kennedy, in 1994 following the Northridge earthquake, and on Sept. 11, 2001, according to the website BirthMoviesDeath.

The resort also has closed early from time to time through the years as a result of heavy rain and wind.

Disney will continue to pay cast members while closed and will work with guests who want to change or cancel their plans to visit, the statement says.

Guests who have hotel bookings scheduled during the closure will be refunded.

Disney says it will continue to monitor the situation and “follow the advice and guidance” of officials.