All across the world, entertainment venues are slowly reopening to the new normal brought about by the global coronavirus pandemic. After reopening theme parks in Shanghai and announcing the expected reopening of parks in the United States, Disney is now reopening Hong Kong Disneyland this week.
Variety reports that June 18 has been set as the reopening of Hong Kong Disneyland, which has been closed to the public since January. The theme park had previously reopened its restaurants in May, while its hotels have remained open throughout the pandemic.
With the reopening comes a number of safety measures that are expected to minimize the spread of the coronavirus in the theme park. Aside from instituting limited attendance, Hong Kong Disneyland will also require social distancing in lines, vehicles, restaurants, and other facilities. Cleaning and sanitation will be stepped up in the park. Masks will also be required on-site and visitors will also need to make their bookings prior to visiting.
Hong Kong Disneyland is taking its cues from Shanghai Disneyland, which was able to successfully reopen several weeks ago with similar safety measures. On its reopening, Shanghai Disneyland only allowed a maximum of 24,000 visitors, which is a big difference from its usual 80,000 capacity.
Deadline quotes Hong Kong Disneyland managing director Stephanie Young regarding the opening, who cites the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland as a source of “learnings.” Young also said that the health and safety measures being implemented in the park were “new and enhanced” and were formulated in coordination with Hong Kong’s health care officials and local government.
Disneyland in California is also set to reopen on July 12 with a reservation system in place to ensure that there are fewer people in the park once it reopens. Temperature checks will be performed on staff and visitors, while meet and greets and parades will no longer be held.
All these theme park reopenings are essential for Disney to survive the economic damage brought about by the global coronavirus pandemic. The theme park closures have caused the furlough of 43,000 workers in Disney World as well as a $1 billion hit on Disney’s revenue.
Whether the reopened theme parks will draw in enough visitors is still questionable as the global coronavirus pandemic has not shown any signs of slowing down. According to the June 15 situation report from the World Health Organization, there are now 7,823,289 confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world, with 132,581 of those being new cases. Deaths caused by COVID-19 are now at 431,541 people, with that total made up of 3,911 new deaths.