Disneyland To Reopen In April, 10K Park Workers Return To Payroll

ANAHEIM, CA — Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek announced to shareholders that the company plans to reopen Disneyland Resort by the end of April.

As many as 10,000 park workers, referred to by the resort as "cast members," are being recalled after having been furloughed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. They will have the chance to return and being trained on new health and safety standards around the park, he says.

"Cast members are excited to get back to work," he said in a statement shared in a Tweet Tuesday morning.

Read: 5 Things To Know About Disneyland Reopening

"Here in California, we're encouraged by the positive trends we're seeing and we're hopeful they'll continue to improve and we'll be able to reopen our parks to guests with limited capacity by late April -- we look forward to publicizing an opening date in the coming weeks," Chapek said.

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health officials announced that theme parks could reopen as of April 1, at the "red tier" of the state's four-level Blueprint for a Safer Economy. As of Tuesday, Orange County remains in the "purple" tier, but it is expected to advance to the "red" tier by St. Patrick's Day.

Chapek said despite the fact Disneyland and California Adventure could potentially reopen at the beginning of April, "the fact is it will take some time to get them ready for our guests."

"I am pleased to say the response has been great thus far. Our cast members are excited to get back to work," Chapek said. "And this is also good news for the Anaheim community, which depends on Disneyland for jobs and business generated by visitors."

When the parks reopen, they will do so under strict capacity limits. While Orange County is in the "red" tier, the parks will be limited to 15% of the overall park capacity. When the county advances to the "orange" tier, capacity will be increased to 25%, and in the least-restrictive "yellow" tier, a capacity of 35% will be allowed.

Only in-state visitors will be allowed at the theme parks until the county enters the yellow tier.

Read:

5 Things To Know About Disneyland Reopening