California said late last week Disneyland and other theme parks can reopen on April 1, but it’s still unclear when Disneyland will choose to open its gates for the public.
- However, California’s guidelines for theme parks reopening only applies to California residents. Utahns and Idahoans will have to wait for now.
What happened
California released new guidelines for theme parks, like Disneyland, to reopen. However, the limits on attendance for the parks depend on the number of people who live in the county where the park is located and the risk level for COVID-19 in the counties, according to The Verge.
- Orange County, where Disneyland is located, is currently in the “purple” tier, which has the highest risk level for California, according to The Verge. Parks in the “purple” tier can reopen at 15% capacity. However, Orange County could move to the “red” tier soon, per KABC. Theme parks in “red” tier counties can open at 15% capacity.
So what does this mean for Disneyland?
Disneyland President Ken Potrock had a positive outlook on the guidelines, hinting that Disneyland might reopen sooner than we think.
“We are encouraged that theme parks now have a path toward reopening this spring, getting thousands of people back to work and greatly helping neighboring businesses and our entire community. With responsible Disney safety protocols already implemented around the world, we can’t wait to welcome our guests back and look forward to sharing an opening date soon.”
The other big consideration — California’s guidelines for reopening only apply to California residents, according to Inside the Magic, a blog dedicated to Disney news and rumors. So the capacity numbers for the park are for California residents only, which means people from Utah, Idaho and Colorado can’t make the trip out there.
Context
Disneyland has remained closed since March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, which is still happening almost a year later. Disney wanted to reopen the park in July 2020 to celebrate Disneyland’s 65th anniversary. But California didn’t issue any state guidelines for theme parks by that date, so Disney had to keep its doors closed. California eventually released new guidelines according to risk levels, allowing for states in the “yellow” tier to open as I wrote about for the Deseret News.
- Disneyland didn’t meet the guidelines. Officials with the park said Disneyland would have a difficult time meeting the requirements before 2021.
What’s next?
Still, Disneyland will have a small reopening in March for “A Touch of Disney.”
- “On March 18, get ready to be delighted with beloved flavors of the Disneyland Resort at the upcoming food and retail experience, ‘A Touch of Disney!’” Disney said on Twitter.
Disneyland will reopen partially from March 18 to April 5 for the event, giving fans a chance to visit shops, stores and eat at dining locations at Disneyland and California Adventure Park. Rides still seem to be off-limits for the event.