In a crush to the morale of Disneyland fans everywhere, to say nothing of the loss of money and jobs, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week that the state is in no rush to put out health and safety guidance for the theme park industry to implement in advance of a responsible recovery. “We don’t anticipate in the immediate term any of these larger parks opening until we see more stability in terms of the data,” Newsom said during a news conference on Wednesday. “We feel there’s no hurry to put out guidelines, and we continue to work with the industry.”
Disneyland, Universal Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm and other California-based theme parks have been closed since March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Walt Disney Company showed no hesitance in pushing back on Gov. Newsom’s announcement.
“We absolutely reject the suggestion that reopening the Disneyland Resort is incompatible with a ‘health-first’ approach. The fact is, that since March we have taken a robust science-based approach to responsibly reopening our parks and resorts across the globe,” said Dr. Pamela Hymel, Chief Medical Officer, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
“Our health and safety protocols were developed in consultation with epidemiologists and data scientists, and after considering guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and experts in local government and health agencies,” she added. “All of our other theme parks both in the United States and around the world have been allowed to open on the strength of our proven ability to operate with responsible health and safety protocols.
“We find it disconcerting that Governor Newsom has no planned timeline for issuing guidance for theme parks, and of great concern that he does not anticipate theme parks opening soon,” she continued.
Newsom is adamant California will be “stubborn” about letting science and data dictate the reopening of theme parks. However, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, believes the time is now. “With the right guidelines and our years of operations experience, I am confident that we can restart and get people back to work,” he said. “We’re ready. And more importantly, it’s time.”
Our take on this
In Florida, Walt Disney World successfully opened in July, with protocols for cleanliness, social distancing, decreased park capacities, and mask use. To date, there have been no reports of COVID breakouts among guests due to park attendance.
Even we, who are are strongly on team #keepsafe, have been VERY impressed with how both Disney and Universal have operated during the pandemic. True, we think one park does it a tiny bit better, but we’ve visited both resorts several times, as well as stayed at Disney’s resort in Vero Beach, and they’ve shown that they know what they’re doing and are doing the right things in terms of keeping their guests as safe as possible.
Heck, Hawaii’s Governor David Ige is super protective about the state’s residents’ health, yet Disney’s resort in Hawaii is scheduled to reopen in early November.
I’m 100% sure that Disneyland could reopen safely. I think Gov. Newsom needs to take it down a notch.
Feature Photo: Snappygoat
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
8 comments
Not surprising in the “People’s Republic”
We are a representative republic that answers to the people although I might rephrase, as people might take your terminology as a childish slur.
Speaking as a native Californian expat who traded the left coast for the east coast, the state is indeed a childish slur. It may snow in the east, but most of the flakes blow west.
I’m not sure that the “I know you are but what am I?” school of insults is really making your point effectively. Maybe sticking with facts that support your assertions might work better. Then again I’m predicating that on your wanting to convince people rather than taking cheap shots at people who have different political opinions.
For your information, CA is the REAL United States. The way things should be. The rest of the backwards thinking country would do well to follow CA’s lead.
Unfortunately, CA is not the REAL US. The REAL US has indoor plumbing so the public streets outside San Francisco don’t look like the medieval days when the contents of chamber pots were thrown into the streets and people dressed in rags and wandered about. The REAL US does not intend to try to lower the voting age to 16. When you talk of insults, talk of the insult to intelligence made by asserting CA is the REAL US. What is REAL is the fact that people and businesses are leaving the Fool’s Gold state as fast as they can.
Maybe Disney should leave California.
I love how the ‘follow the science’ governor, doesn’t actually ‘follow the science’.
More from the people. To one man.
Perfect.
Why not just make him king of California?
Save a step instead of faking there is a democracy.
And the best part is, California will keep voting for this.
They love it. They love to suffer at the hands of ideological politicians.
They are great at it.