Disneyland was scheduled to re-open on its 65th anniversary on July 17th but those plans were shelved, and now Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro says “it is time”, else there will be devastating impacts.
Disney Parks and Resorts held a private press conference (Tuesday, September 22nd) for media to discuss updates on operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. While things seem to be going swell for Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort theme parks remain without a reopening date, and now Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro is stepping up to put pressure on California Governor Gavin Newsom to announce guidelines.
“We are ready, and more importantly… it is time,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, after an impassioned plea for government officials to treat theme parks as they do other sectors and announce reopening guidelines and dates.
D’Amaro warned that “the longer we wait, the more devastating the impact will be” on the local economy, which supplies 80,000 jobs in the area.
Earlier this month, California Governor Newsom said “we’re making a lot of progress” but the resort still remains closed. The Disneyland Resort has extended hotel cancelleations through to October 3rd, and we are hoping that that date will not be extended further with a date for reopening announced instead.
With the number of cases of COVID-19 rising in various parts of the world it will be interesting to see if the resort can be opened safely, and the R value in California can be kept close to or below 1.
