Disneyland Reopening Delayed Indefinitely

ANAHEIM, CA — Disneyland reversed plans Wednesday to reopen July 17, indefinitely delaying the reopening of the theme park.

In a statement, the company blamed the state for the delay while also implying that ongoing union negotiations are a factor.

"The State of California has now indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4. Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials. Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date. "

According to the company, Disney developed enhanced health and safety protocols for employees and guests at Shanghai Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort that passed muster with health officials in those communities.

The Downtown Disney District will reopen on July 9 as previously announced, despite the delay in reopening the theme park. Guests can expect to see a series of health and safety protocols in place. The Downtown Disney District reopening was approved along with restaurant and retail openings throughout California.

Disneyland continues to negotiate with its unions to work out details returning employees.

"We have had positive discussions and are very pleased to have signed agreements from 20 union affiliates, including the Master Services Council, which represents more than 11,000 of our cast members," the company said in the statement. "The signed agreement details plans that include enhanced safety protocols that will allow us to responsibly reopen, and get thousands of our cast members back to work. "

In June, Disneyland had announced plans to reopen the theme park and surrounding hotels by the end of July. The phased-reopening had Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel reopening on July 23, and Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure park reopening on July 17.

The company had planned to limited park capacity to comply with the state's requirements on physical distancing. Disneyland also announced a pause on new ticket sales and sales of Annual Passports as well as renewals.

"These are baby steps," Disney Parks Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D'Amaro said at the time. "As one of the first major theme parks to close our operations and the last to reopen, we have been deliberate about keeping the health and safety of our cast, guests and local communities top of mind."

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