Disney theme parks in California expected to reopen next month, says CEO
Chapek applauded the new guidelines in the statement.
We are hopeful theyll continue to improve and well be able to reopen our parks by late April — we look forward to publicizing an opening date in the coming weeks, the chief executive officer of the U.S. entertainment giant said in a statement.
Theme parks, including Disneyland — one of the most visited tourist attractions in Southern California, have been closed since March last year amid coronavirus fears.
During the 2021 annual meeting of shareholders, Chapek noted Disney was encouraged by the positive trends were seeing in California.
While last weeks announcement states that theme parks may open starting on April 1, the ct is it will take some time to get them ready for our guests – this includes recalling more than 10,000 furloughed cast and retraining them to be able to operate according to the State of Californias new requirements, Chapek added.
Photo/VCG
According to the updates of the states Blueprint to a Safer Economy unveiled by the California Department of Public Health, theme parks in the counties in the purple tier, the most restrictive tier of Californias four-tier, color-coded system for reopening, are not allowed to reopen. But theme parks in the red tier will be eligible to reopen at 15 percent capacity. Maximum capacity will be increased to 25 percent for theme parks in the counties in the orange tier and to 35 percent in the yellow tier.
Almost all Southern California counties are still in the purple tier, but some of them, including Orange County where Disneyland is located, are on track to move into the red tier in the coming weeks as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to drop in the region.
Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek said on Tuesday that he expects the companys theme parks in the U.S. state of California to reopen by late April.
California authorities announced last week that theme parks and stadiums in the state will be allowed to reopen as early as April 1 with capacity restrictions and other safety modifications.
Disney has been adversely impacted by the pandemic. The company said that since late in the second quarter of fiscal 2022 and continuing into fiscal 2021, COVID-19 and measures to prevent its spread have impacted their segments in a number of ways, most significantly at Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Just in the most recent quarter ended Jan. 2, according to Disney reports, the pandemic had cost its parks, experiences and products segment an estimated 2.6 billion U.S. dollars in operating income, while segment revenues decreased by 53 percent to 3.6 billion dollars.
