‘We’re ready’: Frustrated Disneyland tells California Gov. Gavin Newsom it’s time to reopen
For more than six months, California and COVID-19 have kept the keys to the Magic Kingdom. Now, the brass at Walt Disney Co.’s theme parks division have had enough.
Disneyland, the signature Southern California theme park shuttered by the pandemic since March, is demanding California Gov. Gavin Newsom reopen the Anaheim attraction and others across the state.
“We’re ready. It’s time,” Josh D’Amaro, Disney parks chairman said during a virtual news conference Tuesday, as reported by the Orange County Register. Previous reopening plans to reopen July 17 were postponed indefinitely.
Theme parks, like stadiums and concert venues, were shut down in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic that has to date claimed the lives of more than 15,000 Californians and 200,000 Americans.
They include long-popular attractions such as Six Flags Magic Mountain near Valencia, Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, San Diego SeaWorld and Disney California Adventure Park, which is next door to the Magic Kingdom.
Newsom has said that guidance on reopening is close at hand.
But frustration over when theme parks will open again to visitors and what health guidance from state officials will be in place when they do has bubbled over.
“We need guidelines that are fair and equitable,” D’Amato said, calling on state officials to “treat theme parks like you would other sectors” that have been allowed to reopen.
“The longer we wait, the more devastating the impact will be to Orange County and the Anaheim community,” D’Amaro said, according to the amusements trade journal Attractions Magazine.
D’Amaro said about 80,000 jobs in the Orange County area — home to Disneyland, Knott’s and other major tourist attractions — are dependent on the resort, according to the Register.
A California State University, Fullerton, study recently pegged Disneyland Resort’s economic impact on Southern California at $8.5 billion.
Last week, the state organization representing theme parks made a similar call for action from the governor’s office.
“Tens of thousands of jobs have been weighing in the balance,” the California Attractions and Parks Association said in a statement. “Local businesses that rely on amusement parks continue to struggle, with many closing permanently.”
The association in the statement said its member parks are ready to reopen at reduced capacity with required face coverings and guidelines for physical distancing, but need more guidance from the governor.
“Visiting an attraction will not look the same as before COVID, but California’s amusement parks are ready to responsibly reopen,” the statement read.
Earlier this month, the California Attractions and Parks Association called on Newsom to issue guidelines for amusement parks “expeditiously” so parks can reopen. The trade group represents dozens of theme parks, including Disney’s facilities and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, among others.
But even Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Florida might not be able to lure most parents back.
An August poll, by Morning Consult and the Hollywood Reporter, found that 78% of U.S. parents said it was too soon to return to any theme park. Only 26% of parents said they were willing to try Walt Disney World at the time, while 24% said the same for Disneyland.
Disney reported a $3.5 billion loss in the third quarter of 2020, with an 85% drop in parks, experiences and products revenues, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
