Posted in: Disney, Pop Culture | Tagged: disney, Disney Park, disneyland, shanghai disneyland
Shanghai Disneyland Will Have a Phase Reopening on May 11th
On January 25th, 2020, Shanghai Disneyland closed to the public. Within months the rest of the worldwide Disney Parks closed in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Since the closings Disney fans have been asking one thing, when will the parks reopen?
Announced earlier today, Shanghai Disneyland will officially reopen to the public on May 11th. Shanghai has seen a gradual opening since early March, with select dining and shopping allowing guests to come in. Disneytown and Wishing Star Park also reopened, but with measures in place to keep guests safe. Thanks to those observations, President and General Manager of Shanghai Disneyland Joe Schott is confident in reopening Shanghai for people to return too safely. Shanghai and it's neighboring provinces have seen businesses and schools reopen, so it was only a matter of time before Disneyland did as well.
Shanghai Disneyland has added additional measures to clean the park, as well as implementing social distancing guidelines, line markers, and rules for guests. According to USA Today, guests and workers will be required to wear facemasks. Characters will not be required to wear masks, but they will be practicing social distancing with guests — so you will not be able to get a hug from your favorite princess.
While speaking with shareholders and reporters on Tuesday during an investor's call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek sounded hopeful. Shanghai Disneyland has a maximum capacity of 80,000, but the Chinese government will be restricting guests to just 24,000, a 30% decrease. Tickets will only be good for a particular day to keep the crowds low but hope over the next few weeks that they can increase the number of people allowed in the park.
There is no word on when the remaining global parks will reopen. Disney Parks' Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pam Hymel is hopeful for the remaining parks to open soon. She commented on a Disney Parks Blog post earlier today that Disney will be working closely with every government guidelines worldwide. It will take some time, but with Shanghai Disneyland reopening in a matter of days, Disney Park fans can finally find some light at the end of this tunnel.