Disneyland Shanghai re-opens after three-month closure due to pandemic
SHANGHAI: Walt Disney Co reopened Monday to a limited number of visitors to its Shanghai Disneyland Park, ending a nearly three-month closure caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
It is a landmark for Walt Disney and offers a glimpse into how it will rebound from the pandemic that caused it to shut down parks in Asia, the U.S., and France, as well as operations at its retail and cruise ships.
Walt Disney has put in place measures at Shanghai Park, including social distance, masks, and temperature checks for visitors and employees, and for now holds visitor numbers “well below” 24,000 people, or 30% of the daily capacity, a level requested by the Chinese Government.
Tickets for the earliest days of the re-opening of Shanghai Disneyland quickly sold out on Friday.
“We hope that today’s reopening can serve as a beacon of light across the globe, providing hope and inspiration for everyone, and can demonstrate that we can overcome any challenge together,” Joe Schott, president and general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort, said at a ceremony.
Approximately thirty annual pass holders in Mickey Mouse outfits waited outside their gates before the reopening of the park where yellow squares were drawn on the ground for people who were queuing to stand in to maintain social space.
One of them, who gave her English name as Kaira, said she usually visited the Disneyland once a week before the outbreak.
“It’s relaxing here, it’s kind of magical,” she said.
Disney executives reported the global closures last week would cost the corporation a profit of $1.4 billion.
