Orange County Mayor, Jerry Demings, said that if hospitals in the region start to exceed capacity and any COVID-19 cases are linked to the Walt Disney World Resort, or any other theme park, he will ask to close them. Demings also mentioned that if there are places in which they can be more restrictive in response to the soaring number of cases, specifically theme parks and other businesses, then he “will not hesitate” to close them.
There have been many people in favor of the reopening of Walt Disney World and its other theme parks around the globe, but others have voiced concerns because of the growing number of COVID-19 cases, especially in Florida.
Despite Disney’s efforts to avoid contagion within the parks, Hong Kong Disneyland will close its gates once again due to a second wave of Coronavirus cases. However, Disney noted that this closure will not affect any other business operations such as the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Springs. It should also be mentioned that Disney only has a 43% equity stake in the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, meaning that the government surrounding the park has the most control over operations and procedures.
The circumstances surrounding both Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney World are very similar, but only time will tell if the parks in Orange County will close again.
Check out the full news story provided by WFTV Channel 9 below:
Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opened this past Saturday, July 11th. Hollywood Studios and EPCOT are still planned to open tomorrow, July 15th.