Hong Kong Disneyland reopens amid COVID-19 pandemic
Visitors take photos of the Castle of Magical Dreams in Walt Disney Co.'s Disneyland Resort on June 18, 2020 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)
HONG KONG - Hong Kong Disneyland reopened its doors on June 18 after a reported drop in COVID-19 cases in the area.
In an effort to help prevent the renewed spread of the novel coronavirus, capacity will be limited at the park and social distancing guidelines are being implemented at restaurants, rides and shops, according to the Associated Press.
Hong Kong Disneyland is also ramping up its cleaning and disinfecting measures.
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Guests who wish to visit the park will need to make an advance reservation, with their temperature being checked upon arrival. Masks will also be required at all times.
Shanghai Disneyland had reopened in May with similar COVID-19 preventative measures in place.
As of June 18, there were more than 84,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in China and more than 4,600 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There has been concern, though, over the validity of the COVID-19 data that China has released to the public.
In the United States, Disneyland is slated to reopen on July 17 with capacity and safety protocols in place, although many have expressed concerns that the Anaheim park is reopening too soon.
A petition on Change.org titled “Schedule Disneyland to reopen at a later date” has received over 40,000 signatures as of June 18.
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“There are more cases now than when the parks closed on March 13th, 2020. Health Officials have stated that the 2nd wave of Covid-19 will be worse,” according to the petition. “So reopening before the 2nd wave even hits us is irresponsible and greedy.”
Theme parks at Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort are scheduled to begin a phased reopening on July 17. SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, and Discovery Cove all reopened last week with enhanced health and safety protocols.