The Shanghai Disney Resort will reopen on Thursday after suspending operations for more than three months in response to the worst outbreak of COVID-19 in China since the early days of the pandemic.
Walt Disney Co. said the resort will resume ticket sales on Wednesday and that attendance levels will be reduced in the first phase of the reopening, which is part of a “cautious ramp up of operations”. Some attractions, such as the Marvel Universe and Explorer Canoes, will remain closed initially. All guests must show a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of admission, Disney added.
The theme park has been closed since March 21, when the complex closed its doors amid a surge in Omicron cases in Shanghai, leading to a total lockdown of the city’s 22 million residents. Shanghai authorities lifted his stay-at-home order on June 1, and several entertainment venues began opening in the following weeks. Universal Studios Beijing Resort resumed operations on June 25 after a two-month lockdown.
But Disney and local officials decided to play it safe in the Shanghai case, reflecting the severity of the recent explosion and the aggressive state of public health in addition to China’s “dynamic COVID-zero” policy. At the height of the local epidemic, Shanghai set national records for daily infection rates, with new cases repeatedly reaching 15,000. Last fall, Shanghai Disneyland, with 30,000 guests and staff, was still closed from the inside after a positive result was recorded from a visitor who had just visited a theme park. All visitors then underwent a PCR test before returning home. The draconian answer will likely be repeated if there is still a positive test in the park.
At the moment, public health in China is heading in the right direction. Neither Beijing nor Shanghai reported new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, the first time two cities have been uncertain at the same time since February. China also reduced the quarantine time required for arriving travelers from 14 days to 7 days at central government facilities, plus 3 days at home, to which local markets responded positively, with daily gains on the Hong Kong exchanges and Shanghai.
Shanghai Disney Resort is the second largest physical entertainment venue in the world, second only to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Chinese Park is a joint venture between Disney and a state entity known as the Shendi Group. The Chinese company holds 57% of the stake, while Disney retains creative and operational control.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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