Disneyland, California’s world-famous theme park, reopened to visitors after an unprecedented 13-month closure.
Anaheim, Calif. — Four months ago, America’s most populous state was struggling to combat a surge in coronavirus hospitalizations that packed patients into outdoor tents and killed hundreds of people each day. On Friday, Disneyland, California’s world-famous theme park, was set to reopen to visitors after an unprecedented 13-month closure in what tourism officials hope is a sign of the state’s rebound from the pandemic. For now, the park is allowing only in-state visitors and operating at limited capacity. The day began with Disney officials and park employees wearing face coverings gathered in the park’s town square for the morning flag-raising ceremony. Disney chief executive Bob Chapek thanked the color guard for raising the flag daily throughout the 412-day closure and asked employees to “bring the magic back” for visitors about to enter the park. “We’re not just another place. We’re not just another theme park. We’re something special and we’re something special because of all of you, because you bring magic to the world,” he said. Many visitors had gathered outside the park since the previous night. “It has such a symbolic nature to really quantifying that we’re finally rolling out of COVID,” said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of the state tourism agency Visit California. The news comes as California boasts the country’s lowest rate of confirmed coronavirus infections and more than half of the population eligible for vaccination has received at least one dose of the shots. It’s a dramatic turnaround from December, when hospitals across the state were running out of ICU beds and treating patients at overflow locations. Now, children are returning to school, shops and restaurants are expanding business, and Gov. Gavin Newsom set June 15 as a target date to further reopen the economy, albeit with some health-related restrictions. Theme parks were among the last businesses allowed to reopen in California, and Universal Studios and others have already thrown open the gates.
