Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort: when you hear these two popular names, you instantly think of magic, fun and lifelong memories. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disneyland and Disney World had to shut down in March for everyone’s safety. As a result of the park closures, jobs were lost, and it felt like all the magic was gone. People were stuck in their homes quarantining and watching Disney movies about Cinderella’s Castle and dreams coming true instead of visiting the actual thing in the parks.
In July, Disney World reopened their gates to the world with COVID-19 changes. Visitors must now wear masks inside the park while walking around, in addition to keeping a six-foot distance between individuals.
In Anaheim, CA, however, Disneyland is still closed. Just like the reopening of Disney World in Florida, Disneyland was also supposed to reopen in July, but that did not happen due to COVID-19 concerns.
Recently, Disney’s parks and resorts division laid off 28,000 part-time employees. This is troubling: as Disneyland remains closed, people are losing their jobs left and right. Before this pandemic, I am sure people were not worried about their jobs at the Disney Parks, but now, they are scrambling and trying to find new jobs.
California and Florida are the only two locations of Disney parks in the United States. They seem similar because they both bear the Disney name, but Disneyland and Disney World are not being treated equally.
Disney World is in the state of Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis recently lifted restrictions to the parks across the state. DeSantis had been praised in Florida by residents for giving people their jobs back at Disney World. There are still limitations in Disney World, most of which are restrictions heard on a daily basis. For example, you must wear a mask when walking around the park and keep six feet between individuals.
In the state of California, Governor Gavin Newsom has been putting off the reopening of Disneyland. Originally, Disneyland was supposed to re-open in July of this year, but Newsom thought it was not the right time for the park to open. Newsom is hesitant about reopening Disneyland because of COVID-19, and so he keeps pushing the reopening time further and further into the future. California’s Disneyland was the first Disney park, and a lot of its fans are upset with their governor for not doing what the citizens want. Many residents are leaving and getting out of California because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
We still don’t know when Disneyland will reopen, or if it will, this year. Halloween and Christmas are popular times for Disneyland, and those seasons bring in a lot of money, so it could be hard for the company to make a profit this year.
