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Sunday, June 4, 2023 | 
Entertainment Media & Books

Disneyland won’t reopen yet. But Walt Disney World still likely to reopen on time

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won’t cancel businesses from reopening. That likely includes Walt Disney World

By Herb Scribner Herb Scribnerhscribner@deseretnews.com
SHARE Disneyland won’t reopen yet. But Walt Disney World still likely to reopen on time
In this March 24, 2020, file photo, lanes leading to the parking plaza entrance of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom sit empty during its second week of closure in response to the coronavirus pandemic in Orlando.

Lanes leading to the parking plaza entrance of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom sit empty on March 24, 2020, in Orlando, Florida.

Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel via Associated Press

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won’t stop Walt Disney World from reopening in July despite the rise in Florida’s coronavirus cases.

What’s happening:

  • Florida has seen a severe spike in COVID-19 cases in recent days. Confirmed daily coronavirus cases approached 9,000 on Friday, The Associated Press reports. The state banned alcohol consumption at bars in response.
  • DeSantis said he will not tell Disney World to stop its reopening.
  • DeSantis said in a statement (via WSTP): “We are monitoring all aspects related to COVID-19 in Florida and do not have plans to roll back any approved reopening business plans at this time.”
  • Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are expected to reopen on July 11.

Some added context:

  • Disney World workers have signed a petition to stop the park from reopening too early, as I wrote about for the Deseret News. Disney World employees said it might be too early to return.
  • The petition reads: “This virus is not gone, unfortunately, it’s only become worse in this state. While theme parks are a great way to relax and enjoy free time, it is a nonessential business; it is not fair to the people who work there to risk their lives, especially if they are at risk or have family members who are at risk. People are more important than making a profit. Mayors, theme park executives, government officials — please hear what we are saying.”

What happened with Disneyland?

  • The decision to keep Walt Disney World’s reopening on schedule comes as Disneyland announced earlier this week that it won’t reopen as originally planned, which I reported for the Deseret News.
  • Disney said California — which has also seen a spike in cases — would not issue the theme park any guidelines to reopen. So the park will now delay reopening indefinitely.
  • The company said: “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.”