Disneyland could reopen April 1

Mickey Mouse and Minnie could soon be reopening the doors to the Magic Kingdom in California. State officials have set new rules that would allow Disneyland and other theme parks, stadiums, and outdoor entertainment venues to reopen as early as April 1. They have been closed for nearly a year.

But there are major caveats. Officials said Friday (March 5) theme parks can restart with limited capacity only if the counties where they operate are removed from the “purple” tier of the state’s color-coded restrictions. Purple is where the COVID-19 threat is deemed most severe. Theme parks in red-tiered counties could reopen at 15% capacity. Those in less-restrictive tiers could operate at 25% to 35% capacity.

The parks would initially only be open to state residents. Masks and other safety measures would still be required.

But it remained unclear whether rising vaccinations and falling COVID-19 infection rates would go far enough for purple-tiered Orange County, where Disneyland is located, to reach red by the end of next month. Disneyland Resort did not give a date for a Disneyland reopening.

Opening day for Major League Baseball games in Southern California will be limited to 100 fans at stadiums in purple-zoned counties where the Los Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Angels and San Diego Padres play. But in northern California, the stadiums for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics would be allowed up to 20% capacity because they are in red zones.