Theme parks were thrown a lifeline from the state today. Since March last year, all large theme parks/Amusement Parks in the state have been closed. While some have been able to open shopping and dining, the economic impact on the companies, employees, and regions in which the operate has been massive.
State guidance had required parks to wait for the final “Yellow Tier” of the state reopening blueprint. But with parks already closed for a year, waiting another 6 to 12 months is unfeasible economically.
The state has a 4 stage blueprint for reopening, and it was given a refresh today. Much of Southern California is currently in the most restrictive Purple tier, but is on the cusp of transitioning to the slightly less restrictive Red Tier.
However, theme parks will now be eligible for reopening with “very reduced capacity” beginning April 1 in the RED TIER at 15% capacity. That will increase to 25% capacity in the Orange Tier, and 35% in the Yellow Tier. However, there will be limits on indoor rides and dining.
The state’s Blueprint for reopening will be revised, but guests will continue to need to wear masks and continue social distancing.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, stated:
“California can begin gradually and safely bringing back more activities, especially those that occur outdoors and where consistent masking is possible,” Ghaly said. “Even with these changes, California retains some of the most robust public health protocols in the country.”
Theme Parks Treated Differently Than Similar Businesses
Way back in October of 2020, Disney and other California theme parks were awaiting guidance from the state for when they would be allowed to reopen. When that guidance finally came, it wasn’t what the parks wanted to hear and former Disney CEO, Bob Iger, stepped down from the state committee on economic recovery.
Since October, theme parks have been divided into two groups, small parks and large parks. The small regional parks are allowed to reopen in the Orange Tier with restrictions, but the large parks have to wait until the final Yellow Tier. Here is the guidance that parks have been living with since October 2020:
SMALL PARKS
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- Reopening Tier: Orange (with modifications)
- Capacity: must be limited to 25% or 500 people, whichever is less
- Types of attractions that can open: Outdoor
- Reservations or advanced ticket sales required
- Local attendees only (from the same county as the park’s location)
LARGE PARKS
-
- Reopening Tier: Yellow (with modifications)
- Capacity: must be limited to 25%
- Reservations or advanced ticket sales required
As of today (March 5, 2021), here are the new guidelines for large parks to begin reopening in April!
- Counties in the Red tier: limited to 15% capacity
- Counties in the Orange tier: limited to 25% capacity
- Counties in the Yellow tier: limited to 35% capacity
However, there are a few other restrictions for theme parks that come with the recent Blueprint Refresh:
- No indoor dining
- Limits on indoor rides
- Theme parks should only be accepting visitors from inside the state of California
At this time it is unclear if theme parks will be restricted to admit guests that reside in the same county as the theme park (as it was in the previous guidelines). Dr. Ghaly mentioned that theme parks should only accept CA visitors but no clarification was given if it will further be restricted by counties. Dee Dee Myers, one of the Governor’s advisors, said “operators will be able to determine where people are coming from to restrict access because theme parks are required to have people make reservations online prior to their visits.” Hopefully, more information will be available soon.
Disney’s Response!
Shortly after the guidelines were announced, Disney had an announcement of their own in regards to working to reopen the Disneyland Resort.
— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) March 5, 2021
UPDATE 3/5/21 6:15pm
Disneyland President Ken Potrock shared a lengthy statement with Cast Members that outlines what he’s looking forward to regarding the update to theme park guidance. He is excited that this path toward reopening means recalling CMs back to work, while simultaneously kickstarting the economic engine that makes Disneyland so important to the SoCal region. Finally, he reassures the staff that the measures going forward will be with health and safety-first, just as they accomplished with their reopening process for Downtown Disney, Buena Vista Street, and the upcoming Taste of Disney food event. You can read the message in its entirety below:
UPDATES ON DISNEYLAND REOPENING
Updated 3/9/2021 – At Disney’s annual shareholder meeting today, they confirmed several things, including a late April reopening for Disneyland. Additionally, Avengers Campus will NOT reopen with California Adventure and will instead reopen later in the year.
More details on the Disney Shareholder Meeting:
A Gift For The Whole Family!
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